Selection Procedures
Oriental Institute of the CAS announces an open competition in accordance with the Act No. 283/1992 Coll. on the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Statutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences for a position JOB CALL: Ph.D. position in the ERC Synergy project CLOSER.
The CLOSER project investigates the interplay between party politics and social cleavages in the post-Ottoman space of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It involves today’s Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, and Turkey, covering a period from 1908 to the present. Bringing together political scientists, geographers, and historians, not to mention experts from other disciplines, CLOSER enquires into the applicability and possible extension of the Lipset-Rokkan theory (and its updates) on the origins of political parties in Western Europe via a non-European setting, challenging both the imposition of Western norms as well as the exclusiveness of national exceptionalisms. On the historical level, CLOSER aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the specifics of party politics in local circumstances, the evolution of relevant political currents, and the genealogy of social cleavages. The trajectory of events is interpreted through key moments of history, such as the origins of party systems, their openings, or their closures. CLOSER seeks research based on a detailed examination of primary sources in their original languages and their proper positioning within a broader regional/global historical context.
In practical terms, the team of political scientists will be based at the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR), the team of geographers at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), and the team of historians at the Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, in Prague (OI CAS). These will overlap with territorial research units across the three institutions. The project is divided into two stages, each spanning three years.
Three positions are available at this stage.
Requirements:
- Working knowledge of the relevant Middle Eastern language (Arabic/Turkish/Hebrew)
- Fluency in English (both spoken and written)
- Passive knowledge of French (or another major European language) is an advantage
- A Master’s degree in the relevant discipline, such as Middle Eastern studies, modern and contemporary history, or historical sociology
- Relocation to Prague for the duration of the project
Benefits:
- Gross salary of 2,250 EUR (app. 55,000 CZK) per month
- Funding for field research of approximately 1 year
- Acquirement of new skills (interviews, surveys, data management, maps creation, archival research)
- Research of a modern topic with a high degree of societal relevance under a prestigious ERC label
- Onboarding support: Welcome Office at Oriental Institute supports new team members during their first months
- Hybernská 8: From 2027, the Institute will be based in the centre of Prague in a new interdisciplinary research hub for the humanities and social sciences
Application:
- Cover letter with CV and one recommendation letter
- Standard research proposal (in English, max. 5 pages), mentioning also the link with the dissertation topic
- Writing sample (a chapter of the M.A. thesis, a conference paper, a publication, etc.)
- Proof(s) of language skills
- Copy of Master’s diploma
The research proposals should deal with one of the following research areas:
National consolidation and party politics: Focus on the origins/history of the party systems/political movements, primarily before the late 1940s/early1950s. It concerns any country in the region covered by CLOSER, with a preference for candidates who work on Egypt, Lebanon, and/or pre-1948 Palestine.
State-building and social cleavages: Focus on the genealogy of social cleavages, i.e., the secular/religious, urban/rural, center/periphery, and owners/workers cleavages, and their correlation with selected issues, such as institutionalization of the modern state, the land question, incorporation of the region into international markets, or new social stratification. Research should particularly consider the early decades of the modern nation- or state-building process. It concerns any country in the region covered by CLOSER.
Nation-states and minorities: Focus on the role and place of ethnic and religious minorities or culturally distinct groups in the political landscape of the post-Ottoman Middle East, namely with regard to party politics. It concerns any country in the region covered by CLOSER.
We provide candidates with the opportunity to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University while conducting their research within the framework of the CLOSER project at the Oriental Institute. If interested, please submit the second application to the Faculty of Arts at Charles, indicating affiliation with the CLOSER project. The entry interviews will be held in two rounds: first, for the CLOSER project (May), and then for enrollment in the Ph.D. program (June). Candidates are encouraged to consult a potential supervisor beforehand.
We also invite candidates enrolled in a Ph.D. program at another university to take part.
For more information about the theoretical framing of the CLOSER project: https://www.iir.cz/en/party-systems-and-social-cleavages-in-the-post-ottoman-space-of-the-mena-region-closer-1
The Oriental Institute is committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable research environment. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and believe that diversity of perspectives is essential to academic excellence.
The position is open for a three-year term (36 months), starting on September 1, 2026.
Submission deadline: April 30, 2026.
Contact: closer@orient.cas.cz
Application deadline: 04/30/2026