Phd Positions: Protest Music and Polarisation

Employment
- 0.8 - 1.0 FTE
- Gross monthly salary
- € 2,901 - € 3,707
- Required background
- Research University Degree
- Organizational unit
- Faculty of Arts
- Application deadline
- 20 April 2025

Do you want to examine how music shapes affective polarisation in protest movements? How does it influence emotions, deepen divides, or foster solidarity? By connecting popular music, politics and social movements, you will explore the role of music in public discourse, civic engagement and collective identity amidst political polarisation.

This project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and it is organised around the premise that democracies around the world are under increasing pressure, with affective polarisation posing a challenge to social cohesion. The project asks how music contributes to polarisation processes in contemporary protest movements relating to climate change in the Netherlands. The project aims to bring together the fields of culture and politics and will specifically conduct a comparative analysis of the music associated with Extinction Rebellion Nederland and the Dutch farmers’ protests, representing two opposing sides of the political spectrum.

Your tasks and responsibilities include:

- Submission of a PhD thesis within the period of appointment.
- Participating in meetings of the project research group and workshops with project partners.
- Publishing one single-authored, peer-reviewed article.
- Writing one single-authored and one co-authored chapter for a project publication.
- Presenting intermediate research results at international workshops and conferences.
- Organising knowledge dissemination activities.
- Participation in the Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH)and one of the national research schools in the Humanities, for instance the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis (NICA).
- Active participation in the Media, Popular Culture and Social Change Research Group.
- Teaching and co-teaching courses at the BA level and academic service.

Your research will be embedded in the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH), and you will participate in the Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH). You will devote 75% of your time to the research for and writing of your PhD thesis. The remaining 25% will be spent on training, teaching and academic service to the Faculty of Arts. For additional information, please read the short summary of the project below the vacancy text.

**Profile**:

- You have an affinity with (Dutch) music culture and how it relates to political questions. You are enthusiastic about communicating academic research to non-academic audiences and collaborating with societal partners.
- You have strong organisational and social skills.
- You embrace teamwork and are willing to engage in collaborative research across disciplines, but can also work independently.
- You have an excellent command of English and Dutch: You will write your PhD thesis in English, but a very good command of Dutch is essential as you will conduct research and fieldwork on Dutch music culture.

**We are**:
The Arts and Culture Studies team at Radboud University is a dynamic, interdisciplinary group of around 30 scholars and 10 PhDs exploring the role of arts, culture, and media in society from both Western and non-Western perspectives. Our expertise spans literary studies, visual culture, tourism, media, and popular music, amongst others. Our teaching combines historical depth with contemporary relevance, offering students hands-on experience through cultural institutions and professional collaborations. With an emphasis on **critical thinking and societal engagement**, we equip students with the skills to analyze, navigate, and actively participate in contemporary cultural and social debates. From different disciplinary perspectives, we are interested in the arts and cultural transformations, heritage, creative industries, and the politics of culture. We foster a collaborative environment built on collegiality, active participation, and a commitment to addressing socially relevant issues.

The “Music and Affective Polarisation in Protest Movements” research team, led by Prof. Melanie Schiller, will consist of the principal investigator, two PhD researchers, a postdoctoral researcher, and a research assistant. We aim to create a collaborative and supportive research environment that encourages intellectual exchange and critical engagement. Our work is guided by an ethics of care and a commitment to high-quality, internationally oriented research.

**Radboud University**:
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who