Faculty of Law
Institute for Interdisciplinary Legal Studies - lucernaiuris

The University of Lucerne is the youngest university in Switzerland. Founded in 2000, it has four faculties and around 3,000 students. The Faculty of Law has gained national and international recognition in a short period of time. This young faculty offers its around 1,200 students and 180 doctoral candidates an innovative range of studies with a broad international orientation. The faculty stands out for its personal supervision of students, its close links between academia and practice, and its motivated, dynamic team.

The Institute for Interdisciplinary Legal Studies – lucernaiuris is a hub for leading edge teaching and research that crosses traditional boundaries between law, the humanities and the social sciences. It holds a distinctive position within the national and international academic landscape as a vibrant site for critical and creative thinking.

As of the 1 February 2023 or by agreement, we are looking to appoint a

PhD Researcher (100%, 4 years)
to join the project “Imagining Justice: Law, Politics and Popular Visual Culture in Weimar Germany", funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and led by Dr. Steven Howe.

The SNSF project is an interdisciplinary undertaking that will explore the relations between law, justice and popular visual culture during the era of the Weimar Republic. The overarching aim is to develop a set of new and innovative critical perspectives on the following three key points of focus: (i) the forms of legal image-making engendered by the visual media of the Weimar era; (ii) the meanings these images generate in the context(s) of their production, circulation and reception; and (iii) the cultural work these images perform in fostering and shaping a popular legal imagination outside the formal spaces of law and politics.

Within this framework, the successful candidate is expected to write a PhD thesis focusing on the forms, meanings and effects of photographic representations of law and justice during the Weimar period. The project will sit at the crossroads of photography and modern (legal) history on the one hand, and of political and aesthetic theory on the other. The exact angle and focus of the PhD can be discussed with the project leader.

Activities and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to dedicate 80% of their work time to the PhD thesis, which is to be completed within the project lifecycle (by the end of year 4). They will be supervised and supported by the other members of the project team, and encouraged to present their research at doctoral seminars and other academic events. The remaining 20% of their time will be spent contributing to the organisation and delivery of other project activities (publications, conferences, workshops, public-facing events).

The salary will be in line with SNSF guidelines, starting at ca. 47'000.- CHF and rising incrementally to ca. 50'000.- CHF in year 4.

Profile

• Master's degree in law, visual studies, photography, cultural studies, German studies, modern history or another relevant discipline
• Aptitude for interdisciplinary work
• Openness to critical and creative thinking
• Willingness to work collaboratively as part of a team with ambitious aims
• Ability to work independently with the support of supervisor and other project team members
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detai
• Excellent English and German skills

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr. Steven Howe (steven.howe@unilu.ch). A detailed summary of the project is available on request.

Applications (letter of motivation, CV with details of two referees) by 5 December 2022 via the button below.