PhD-Position in the Ambizione Project: 'Going Native': Autochthony, (Im-)Mobility and Uneven Entanglements between Kosovo and Switzerland (PI. Dr. Danae Leitenberg; Host & Supervisor, Prof. Jelena Tosic, Migration Studies, SHSS) (m/f/d)

Project Description:
In a world of increasing connectivity, both dominant and subaltern populations claim their genuine and primordial belonging to particular places. But what do calls for the preservation of the native identity entail? Why, how and in what context does one foreground nativeness? How do nativist claims emerge, take effect, travel, transform between highly unequal contexts? Based on ethnographic fieldwork, Dr Danaé Leitenberg's SNSF-Ambizione research project 'Going Native' will explore how feeling native and the political project of nativism, arguing for the preservation of autochthony, increasingly shape the reality of a fragmented European continent. Zooming in on Switzerland and Kosovo, two countries with important entanglements and commitments to autochthony, the research team will interrogate nativism's effects transnationally, exploring how it constitutes a dynamic social process of in-/exclusion that spans borders. This four-year project consists of two subprojects in Switzerland and Kosovo (one led by PI, the other by a PhD) that form entry points into the transnational field of nativism. The PhD Student will be supervised by Prof. Dr Jelena Tošić and Dr Danaé Leitenberg at the University of St.Gallen.

Your Tasks:
The PhD student will develop, write and submit a PhD dissertation at the University of St.Gallen (School for Humanities and Social Sciences/ Migration Studies), based on research conducted in the subproject B) of 'Going Native'.

Subproject B) investigates Switzerland's changing role in Kosovo, not only as a destination but also as a source of economic opportunity within Kosovo, and how this transformation is shaped by ambiguous nativist ideals and agendas. As an institutional ethnography of the links between nativism and capitalism, this project will look at the growing number of Swiss and/or Kosovar entrepreneurs who draw on nativist imaginaries of Swissness in Kosovo, often with the support of state institutions.

Data will be collected through participant observation and various qualitative interview methods. The research will include 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Kosovo (Pristina).

In addition to writing her PhD-Thesis, in the post-fieldwork stage the PhD student will be expected to contribute to project outputs (conference papers, peer-reviewed publications, special issue, etc.) and the organization of workshops and conferences.

Apart from the fieldwork project phase, the research will be based at the University of St.Gallen (residence/work permit, office, regular project meetings, pursuit of the PhD).

The candidate holds a Master's degree in social/cultural anthropology, ethnology, sociology, geography or other relevant discipline. They provide over knowledge and experience in qualitative research and ethnographic fieldwork. Prior engagement with the issues of mobility/migration and/or nationalism are an asset.

The PhD student will be able to conduct research within the framework of the overall project and the subproject in Kosovo both independently and in team-work.

To facilitate ethnographic fieldwork in Kosovo, proficiency in Albanian is required and a knowledge of German or French is considered an asset. The candidate is fluent/advanced in English and will write their PhD thesis and other outputs in English.

The call is open to candidates of any citizenship/nationality background