Two fully funded 4-year PhD positions on SNF Project on 'moral economies of racial reckoning' (m/w/d)
Your tasks
In 2020, the police murder of George Floyd sparked a significant moment of racial reckoning. Under the banner of Black Lives Matter, activists around the globe highlighted how contemporary racial injustices are deeply tied to histories of imperialism and transatlantic slavery. In the United Kingdom, once the world's largest empire and a key actor in the transatlantic slave trade, this reckoning extended far beyond activist circles. This ethnographic project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, investigates these emerging 'moral economies of racial reckoning', focusing on how different groups engage with Britain's imperial past and its present racial realities, and against the backdrop of increasing political and legal backlash. The project consists of three interconnected work packages, examining: (1) Elite actors (e.g. corporations, government institutions) who engage with their imperial legacies through discourses of responsibility and reparations, (2) Cultural and educational institutions (e.g. museums, trusts, schools, media outlets) working to educate the broader public, and (3) social movements and grassroots actors advancing systemic change through abolitionist or legal reformist strategies.
We are inviting applications for two fully funded PhD positions linked to Work Package 2 and Work Package 3:
- Work Package 2 explores representational practices among cultural and educational actors, including how they reckon with historical complicity in slavery, engage in reform, and frame, disseminate or contest understandings of responsibility.
- Work Package 3 explores how grassroots groups, activists and social movements advocate for systemic and anti-racist changes in relation to policing, criminal justice, or other dominant political, institutional and legal structures.
- PhD students will design and carry out an original doctoral project with 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork.
- PhD students will contribute to the broader research project, led by Prof. Insa Lee Koch (University of St. Gallen), alongside postdoctoral researcher Dr. Victoria Klinkert and project partner Dr. Farhan Samanani (King's College London).
Your profile
- A completed Master's degree (MA/MSc) in anthropology, ethnology, sociology, criminology, human geography, or a closely related discipline
- Applicants without formal social science training should demonstrate a clear research background related to the project themes. These applicants still need to have an MA/MSc degree to be admitted to the doctoral studies programme at the University of St. Gallen
- Experience with qualitative research, especially ethnographic fieldwork
- Familiarity with debates around racial justice, state racism and social inequalities within anthropology and other social science disciplines
- Willingness to take up residence in St. Gallen, Switzerland (apart from fieldwork)
- A high motivation to work as part of a dynamic research team at the Department of British Cultures
Please submit your applications by January 9th, 2026 including;
- A letter of motivation (max. 1 page)
- A CV
- A research proposal (max. 2 pages) indicating your interest in either work package 2 or 3 (or both), and some suggestions for a doctoral project within that
- A writing sample (e.g. BA thesis chapter, published paper)
- Names and contact details of two academic referees
- Transcripts of any certificates and degrees
If your application was successful in the first round, you will be notified and invited for an interview by January 30th, 2026. Interviews will take place on zoom from the 16th February 2026.
Please also note that should your application have been successful, you will still need to submit your PhD application through the formal channels to the University of St. Gallen before May 2026.
For any questions, feel free to reach out to Insa Lee Koch at insalee.koch@unisg.ch.
Inspirational Work Environment
Executive Education
Network
Family & Career
Equal Opportunities
Fit and Healthy
Inspirational Work Environment
At the HSG, as Europe's leading business university, we operate in an entrepreneurial environment where you will meet highly qualified, ambitious experts - both regionally and internationally. For example, you benefit from a modern IT infrastructure and, in our library via HSGswisscovery, from nationwide access to the wealth of scientific information available.
Executive Education
We support internal and external executive education opportunities. Our internal executive education programme offers you a practical, dedicated and didactically mature transfer of knowledge in the form of seminars, e-learning, coaching and collegial advice. We support task-specific external training and executive education financially as well as with regard to the time required.
Network
We promote our culture of cross-functional collaboration and create space for forging valuable relationships - also with external partners. Regular exchanges and internal events help to strengthen these relationships and make them long-lasting.
Family & Career
We provide our employees with flexible work time models with a variable number of hours per week. As a family-friendly employer, we offer part-time positions, 16 weeks of maternity leave and a subsidised crèche, as well as support with childcare during the vacations.
Equal Opportunities
The University enables equal opportunities for all employees and students. This applies to degree courses and work, as well as academic careers, university management positions and the reconciliation of studies, work and private commitments. We are committed to this with various measures in the areas of teaching, research, administration and the Presidency.
Fit and Healthy
We help you stay fit and healthy. In addition to our diverse range of sports activities at the university, most of which are free of charge, and campaign weeks for corporate health management, we also offer you fruit in the workplace. In our canteen you will find a wide selection of freshly prepared meals - from vegetarian to fish dishes - at discounted prices.
Further information on working at the HSG can be found here.
For job-related questions
Ordentliche Professorin
From Imperial Ignorance to Responsibility in the Wake of BLM: An Ethnographic Study of Moral Economies of Racial Reckoning
Assistentin
Der Mensch ist der entscheidende Erfolgsfaktor. Wir freuen uns auf Sie!
Your place of work
University of St.Gallen
«A place where knowledge is created» - As one of Europe's leading universities of economics and business administration, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to the education of over 10'000 students. The HSG is one of the largest employers in the region and provides an attractive and innovative environment for more than 3'500 researchers, educators and professional staff.
