PhD Position: Re-evaluating conflict: Nietzsche’s ontology of conflict and its implications for agonistic political theory (EXPIRED)

The Institute for Philosophy, Leiden University, has an open PhD position within the NWO programme, “Between Deliberation and Agonism: Rethinking Conflict and its Relation to Law in Political Philosophy”. The programme leader is Dr. Herman Siemens.

PhD Position: Re-evaluating conflict: Nietzsche’s ontology of conflict and its implications for agonistic political theory

(38 hours per week)

Vacancy number: 11-231

Short description of the programme:

There is an impasse between two influential currents in contemporary political philosophy. Deliberative theories of democracy emphasise the rule of law, consensus-oriented deliberation and procedures to guarantee equality and freedom for all. Agonistic theories, inspired by the ancient Greek contest or agon, emphasise struggle, disagreement and incessant contestation as essential to democratic politics.  Both sides pick out important features of democracy, but they either misrepresent or ignore their opponents’ claims. The aim of this research programme is to break the deadlock and move the debate between them forward by rethinking the relation between antagonism, agonism and law.  We will do so by going back to the historical roots of these contemporary currents in Nietzsche and Kant on the working hypothesis that these thinkers offer under-studied resources for rethinking conflict, power and law, with critical and corrective implications for the current stalemate in democratic theory. 

The programme will be carried out as a collaborative effort between three projects under the leadership of Dr. Siemens. The first project (postdoc) focuses on the relation between political subjects and law in current political thought. The other two are projects in the history of philosophy. One of them (postdoc) focuses on global politics and investigates the father of current cosmopolitan theories, Kant, as a thinker of conflict. The other project (PhD) focuses on Nietzsche as the father of current agonistic theories. The opening is for this project.

The PhD project:

For Nietzsche, struggle and opposition are constitutive of power-relations at all levels of reality or life, and his writings offer conceptual resources for rethinking conflict and its relation to law that remain untapped by current agonists. Through a systematic study of Nietzsche’s vocabulary conflict, it will develop a Nietzschean typology of modes of conflict and their relations to law. This will serve as the basis for an investigation into the implications of Nietzsche’s thought for current debates on the place of conflict and law in democracy. At the same time, this project will contribute to and benefit from the work being done on Kant and current political thought in the other two projects. 

We are looking for an ambitious and enthusiastic scholar with a passion for close textual work, able to combine research into Nietzsche’s thought and language with philosophical reflection on its relevance for political thought today. The Nietzsche Research Group offers a unique and congenial environment for Nietzsche researchers. As a member of the Research Programme, the successful candidate will be able to work constructively with the other researchers.

Requirements:

• Candidates should have an excellent academic track record in philosophy, including an MA degree in philosophy or its equivalent. Candidates should have a strong background in Nietzsche-research. A demonstrable interest in questions concerning law and/or conflict will be considered an advantage. 
• Candidates should have an excellent command of English and a good working knowledge of German.
• Candidates should be willing and able to teach a small number of courses on topics within their area of specialization.
• Candidates should be motivated to participate in the activities of the Research Programme (weekly reading group), the activities of the Practical Philosophy Research Cluster at the Institute (bi-weekly seminars), activities of the Nijmegen-Leiden Nietzsche Resarch Group (monthly seminars), and be prepared to participate in relevant activities of the Netherlands Research School in Practical Philosophy (OZSE).
• Candidates are expected to present their research results at international meetings and in international peer-reviewed journals and to complete their dissertations within four years.

We offer:

The position of the PhD fellow (‘promovendus’) is temporary, max. four years with a full-time appointment, and with an initial 12-month trial period. The PhD fellow will devote approx. 80% of their time to the research project and approx. 20% to teaching and training.

The salary is determined in accordance with the current scales as set out in the collective labour agreement for the Dutch universities (CAO):

PhD fellow: min. € 2.042 - max. € 2.612 / month (before tax)

Further Information:

More information about the research program can be found at

http://www.hum.leiden.edu/philosophy/research/research-projects/between-deliberation-and-agonism.html . For any further enquiries, please contact Dr. Herman Siemens, [email protected]. For questions concerning employment terms, applicants may contact M.S.K. van Gammeren, HR advisor (tel. 0031 71 5272634, e-mail [email protected]).

Applications:

Please submit the following:

• a letter of application (including an explanation of why you are qualified for the project, and an explanation of your philosophical interest in the project),
• a curriculum vitae (including a list of publications, and the names, affiliations and contact information of two academic references), and
• a transcript (or Dutch cijferlijst)
• a writing sample (such as your MA thesis or dissertation).

Applications should be sent by e-mail to:

[email protected].  

The vacancy number should be written on the letter. The selection committee may invite short-listed applicants for an interview in Leiden.

Deadline: 20 November 2011.