3 Postdoctoral Research Positions for ERC Advanced Grant RECUR

How does coloniality continue to shape contemporary Europe – and what role do theological imaginaries and institutions play in sustaining or contesting it? Would you like to investigate these questions as part of an ambitious, interdisciplinary ERC Advanced Grant project? Then we invite you to apply for one of three postdoctoral research positions in RECUR: Towards a Critical Political Theology.

The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven hosts RECUR: Towards a Critical Political Theology of Coloniality, an ERC Advanced Grant project led by Prof. Judith Gruber (2027–2031). RECUR investigates how colonial power continues to operate in contemporary Europe through political-theological discourses across religious, secular, and academic domains. Focusing on Belgium, Germany, and Ireland, the project combines qualitative discourse analysis, discourse network analysis, and critical theological reflection to develop a new framework for understanding the relationship between theology, coloniality, and contemporary forms of power.

The three postdoctoral researchers will join an interdisciplinary and internationally oriented research team and contribute to a shared research agenda combining empirical investigation, theoretical development, and conceptual reflection. Researchers will be based in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and participate in its wider intellectual and research community.

More information about RECUR: https://research.kuleuven.be/EU/p/he/p1/erc/recur

The project seeks intellectually ambitious researchers who are interested in crossing disciplinary boundaries and contributing to both empirical research and theological reflection. Postdoctoral researchers will contribute from different disciplinary perspectives to a shared research agenda: rather than working in isolation on separate subprojects, team members will collaborate closely across all project domains and contribute jointly, from different disciplinary entry points, to the development of RECUR’s central concepts and methods.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates with expertise in one or more of the following areas:

Area A: Systematic, Constructive, and Political Theology

Candidates with expertise in systematic theology, constructive theology, political theology, or related theological fields. Applicants should have an interest in critical theological reflection on coloniality, power, authority, and the political dimensions of theological concepts and imaginaries. Relevant areas of expertise may include, among others, critical, historical, feminist, liberation, or postcolonial approaches to theology, as well as theological reflection on institutions, traditions, and practices of power. Applicants with expertise in this area should demonstrate an openness to conducting qualitative empirical research (Discourse Network Analysis).

Area B: Empirical Research on Religion, Institutions, and Public Discourse

Candidates with expertise in empirical research on religion, institutions, discourse, or public debates. Relevant approaches may include qualitative methods, discourse analysis, discourse network analysis, empirical theology, or related approaches. Applicants should be interested in investigating how theological and political concepts circulate within contemporary institutions and public debates, particularly in relation to coloniality, memory, authority, and structures of power.

Area C: Post-/Secularity Studies, Political Theory, and Cultural Anthropology

Candidates working in critical secularism studies, postcolonial and decolonial theory, political philosophy, anthropology, or related fields. Applicants should have an interest in the theological dimensions of modern political formations and in the entanglements of religion, secularity, coloniality, and social imaginaries, and demonstrate an openness to conducting qualitative empirical research (Discourse Network Analysis).

Applicants are not expected to have expertise in all areas of the project. Rather, they should demonstrate openness to engaging substantially with RECUR’s core concepts, empirical questions, and interdisciplinary methods, in order to contribute collaboratively to the central question of RECUR: the relationship between theology, coloniality, and contemporary forms of power. The final configuration of positions will be determined on the basis of the successful candidates' qualifications, experience, and eligibility under university and funding regulations.

Unit website

Responsibilities

As a postdoctoral researcher in RECUR, you will contribute to the development of a Critical Political Theology of Coloniality through a combination of empirical research, conceptual reflection, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Each researcher will take primary responsibility for leading empirical research in one of the project's three national contexts (Belgium, Germany, or Ireland). Within their national context, researchers will build and analyse empirical corpora from three domains in which political-theological practices of coloniality become visible: sexualized violence in the Roman Catholic Church, remembrance practices of state violence, and academic knowledge production in Post-/Secularity Studies. The resulting empirical analyses will provide the foundation for a collaborative process of theological reflection, conceptual and methodological development, and interdisciplinary theory-building through which the RECUR team will jointly develop a Critical Political Theology of Coloniality.

You will

• conduct independent and collaborative research contributing to the development of a Critical Political Theology of Coloniality.
• take primary responsibility for coordinating empirical research in one of RECUR's three national contexts: Belgium, Germany, or Ireland.
• build, code, and analyse qualitative empirical corpora across the project's three domains of inquiry: sexualized violence in the Roman Catholic Church, remembrance practices of state violence, and academic knowledge production in Post-/Secularity Studies.
• conduct discourse analysis and discourse network analysis and contribute to the development of RECUR's comparative dataset on political-theological practices of coloniality.
• actively contribute to the conceptual and theoretical development of the project, engaging critically with questions of theology, coloniality, power, authority, memory, and secularity.
• work closely with the Principal Investigator and other postdoctoral researchers to develop shared analytical frameworks, concepts, and methodologies and to contribute to the comparative synthesis across the project's national and thematic domains.
• publish high-quality research outputs in leading international journals and edited volumes.
• present research findings at international conferences, workshops, and project events and contribute to building the project's international research network.
• participate in the organization of research seminars, workshops, conferences, and other academic and public engagement activities related to the project.
• Subject to separate arrangements with the Faculty, opportunities may be available to contribute to teaching and/or student supervision, enabling researchers with academic career ambitions to develop their teaching experience alongside their RECUR research
• contribute to the development of future collaborative research initiatives arising from the project.

Researchers will enjoy substantial intellectual freedom in shaping their individual research trajectories while contributing to the collective goals of the project.

Profile

Eligibility and Requirements

• PhD in Theology, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, Anthropology, Sociology, History, Cultural Studies, or a related discipline, completed by the start of the appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the three research areas outlined above.
• Strong interest in questions of coloniality, power, authority, memory, religion, and/or secularity.
• Demonstrated capacity for original and independent research.
• Excellent publication record relative to career stage.

Research Skills

Applicants should demonstrate some combination of the following:

• Experience with qualitative social research methods.
• Experience with discourse analysis, qualitative coding, textual analysis, or related interpretive approaches.
• Experience with empirical research on religion, political discourse, institutions, memory, or public culture.
• Experience with systematic, constructive, historical, political, or critical theological research.
• Experience with postcolonial, decolonial, feminist, critical race, or related critical theoretical approaches.
• Interest in developing expertise in discourse network analysis and other digital or mixed-method approaches used within the project.
• Demonstrated ability or willingness to move between empirical and conceptual/theoretical modes of inquiry.

Applicants are not expected to possess all of these skills at the time of application. The project particularly values intellectual openness, methodological curiosity, and a willingness to engage with approaches beyond one's primary disciplinary training.

Professional Competencies

• Ability to work independently and take initiative in developing research.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
• Demonstrated willingness to engage constructively with perspectives from other disciplines.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills.
• Strong communication skills, including academic writing and presentation.
• Commitment to contributing to a supportive, collaborative, and intellectually ambitious research environment.

Languages

• Excellent command of English (written and spoken).
• Competence in at least one language relevant to the project's comparative case studies is highly desirable (German, Dutch, French, or Irish).

Offer

• A postdoctoral research position in an ERC Advanced Grant project. Researchers will initially be appointed for one year. Subject to satisfactory performance and continued project needs, appointments are expected to be renewed for the remainder of the project period, up to a maximum of five years. Appointments will normally be between 80% and 100% FTE, with full-time appointments anticipated in most cases. The precise appointment level, contract modality, and remuneration will be determined in accordance with KU Leuven regulations, funding provisions, candidate qualifications, and project needs.
• Competitive compensation in accordance with KU Leuven's applicable pay scales and commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• A research budget for participation in national and international conferences, workshops, and training programs.
• The opportunity to take on a central academic role within an ambitious ERC Advanced Grant project focusing on coloniality in contemporary Western Europe.
• A stimulating research environment in which intellectual exchange, academic freedom, collegiality, and scholarly excellence are central.
• The opportunity to develop your own research profile and publications while contributing to the conceptual, empirical, and methodological development of RECUR
• The opportunity to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team and international partners and to further expand an active international research network.
• Opportunities, subject to separate arrangements with the Faculty, to contribute to teaching and/or student supervision and to further develop your teaching experience and academic profile.

Interested?

Please submit your application in English via the online application tool by October 26, 5pm CET, including these documents:

• a CV

• a letter of motivation stating your qualifications and reasons for your interest in the position (max. 2 pages)

• a writing sample (published article, dissertation chapter, ...) of no more than 20 pages

• contact information of two references (including information on relationship with the applicant)

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Judith Gruber, mail: judith.gruber@kuleuven.be.

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address: diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be

You can apply for this job no later than October 26, 2026 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

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