A) The Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra is now accepting applications from researchers willing to have CES as the host institution for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions - Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA), call forthcoming of the Horizon Europe Programme (European Commission).

Eligible candidates must be holders of a PhD degree, have up to 8 years (max.) of post-doctoral research experience, and comply with the following mobility criteria:

- MSCA mobility rule: the researcher cannot have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

- The researcher must be a national or long-term resident (residing for at least 5 consecutive years) of a Member State or Associated Country (Global Fellowships only);

B) CES will support up to 6 applications for the MSCA-PF 2023 call: 5 in predefined thematic areas and 1 under a free topic. The applications to be supported will be selected by the CES Scientific Board.

C) The application process for CES as a host institution complies with the following timeline:

• The call for the submission of proposals runs from 1 March to 14 May 2023, through an electronic form (please click) according to MSCA template.
• Selected applicants will participate in an online workshop to support project preparation to be held during the first week of June.
• By 18 June 2023, selected applicants will send their full proposals to CES and their supervisors.
• After this date, applicants will work in close conjunction with the scientific officer appointed by the Scientific Board and the Project Management Office to improve and fine-tune the application which must be submitted by 13 September 2023 on the respective European Commission platform.
   

Thematic Areas

Topic 1: The political economy of international tensions: from war to inflation and deglobalisation

This research line aims to foster analysis of the Portuguese reality, from the perspective of this European periphery, of the political economy of some of the major international tensions and their varied territorial manifestations, with special emphasis on three topics. Firstly, the socio-economic and political impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine, and of the clashes between powers with different interests in this context. Secondly, the inflationary process, the result of disruptions in energy supply systems and the effects of the pandemic on value chains, causing and revealing deep distributional tensions. And, thirdly, the signs that point to the existence of spontaneous and deliberate processes of retraction in globalisation, which has already passed its peak, indicating a more prominent place for national States and their strategies.

By combining the analysis of the social and political forces of the various possible world orders and the differentiated material capacities of States, the proposed research agenda calls for the presentation of applications committed to promoting critical analyses of international political economy, attentive to the mutations underway, possibly systemic, in a History far from its end.
 

Topic 2: Democracy, Resistance and Alternatives.

Centred on the analysis of processes of collective action, this topic focuses on critical approaches to the notions and praxis of democracy and citizenship, with a focus on the social struggles, rebellions and protests that confront the structures of capitalism, colonialism and heteropatriarchy. This topic also calls for the analysis of the challenges posed by the narrowing of liberal democracy, the practices of representative democracy, and the resurgence of nationalist populisms in the 21st century.
 

Topic 3: New cartographies of Europe and the Global South: representations, knowledges, violence and memories

This topic aims to foster the analysis of the articulations between Europe and the Global South, at various scales, within the framework of an increasingly multipolar world. Proposals on the following themes will be accepted: New cartographies of Europe - Representations, violences and memories; Epistemologies of the South, decolonisation and the pluriverses of knowledge; Transnationalisms, diasporas and mobilities; and Contemporary geopolitics, global interventionism and peace processes.

Topic 4: Processes of vulnerability of individuals and/or communities and the role of public policies

This research line intends to foster the analysis of the processes of vulnerability of individuals, families and/or communities, as well as the role of public policies that promote their empowerment and resilience. Priority will be given to interdisciplinary approaches to the mentioned themes, which can articulate with other CES agendas and present a strong emphasis on the use of participatory methodologies.

Topic 5: Reshaping nature-human connections and urban-rural cultural linkages

Urban cultures are interwoven with the urgent imperative to face contemporary challenges related to climate change and socio-territorial inequalities. One of the challenges is the relation of cities with nature, which creates an opportunity to make cities more green and more healthy for their inhabitants. Processes of rethinking and renewing connections between nature and humans are contributing to new and expanding fields of research, such as research in action and community-based research, where integrated citizens’ engagement is driving the creation of more democratic and equitable cities. A complementary challenge is the need to re-envision and renew urban-rural cultural linkages, which are contextualized by the gradual transformation of cities and their surrounding areas through dynamic and multifaceted interconnections. Research is addressing these themes to understand how urban ways of life can learn from and integrate rural cultures and knowledges while, at the same time, cultures of non-urban/rural territories can dialogue with urban-based cultures to find innovative ways to address issues of inequalities, social cohesion and change, capacity-building, and desertification. In this sense, interdisciplinary research is needed to involve and integrate perspectives and knowledges from environmental, social sciences, artistic practices, and urban planning fields.


Topic 6: Free