PhD Researcher Van Vollenhoven Institute Law, Governance and Society; FTE

PhD Researcher Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society (1.0 FTE)

Job Description PhD Researcher Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society (1.0 FTE) Vacancy number: 16924 Job type:
PhD positions Contract hours min: 38 Contract hours max: 38

Location:

Leiden Applying is possible up to and including: 31 January 2027

PhD Researcher in “A Sociology of Post-Imperial Islamic Legal Culture:
Insights from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia” ( Minaret Project ), 1.0 FTE.

The Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society (VVI) invites applications for one PhD Researcher (1.0 FTE, 4 years) from September/October 2027 – September/October 2031 to join the Minaret Project, a HORIZON Unit Grant-funded interdisciplinary and transnational research initiative, which examines the interconnection between law, religion and governance in post-imperial Muslim-majority societies to promote democracy and good governance.

The project brings together 11 universities with 15 PhD researchers across 3 work packages and 15 subprojects, with the applicant contributing to the subproject Neo-Imperialism and Constitutional Reform:
The Global Dimension
. This subproject examines to what extent international organizations and global governance actors act as neo-imperial forces shaping constitutional reform in North Africa and the Middle East.

It will explore how donor-driven “rule of law” and “good governance” programs are developed, interpreted, and implemented in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Particular attention will be paid to how the legal frameworks promoted by international actors relate to the government practices in these countries, and in particular to those embedded in local traditions and religious values.

Drawing on policy-document analysis and elite interviews with a diverse range of actors
-including international advisers, domestic policymakers, civil-society representatives, legal practitioners, religious scholars, and community leaders-, the study will investigate how transnational constitutional models are negotiated, adapted, resisted, or hybridized in practice. It will contribute to debates on postcolonial constitutionalism by examining the processes through which legal and governance norms circulate across borders, as well as the forms of influence, dependency, and agency that shape their adoption.

Ultimately, the project seeks to develop a nuanced account of how external interventions affect perceptions of legitimacy, legal pluralism, and sovereignty in transitional Muslim-majority societies.

The PhD researcher will join the Leiden-based Minaret team, working closely with two senior‑researchers and two external mentors (one academic and one non‑academic, associated with the project). The position provides the opportunity to conduct original empirical research on the underlying structures of constitutional reform in said countries, while also contributing to public engagement and the collaborative life of the project. All PhD researchers are required to undertake two secondments abroad with the project’s associated partners, one academic and one non‑academic, of between two and six months’ duration.

This will not only enhance research capabilities but also equip the PhD researcher for academic and non‑academic roles.

Academic Research

• Conduct socio-legal and policy analysis with key stakeholders in selected countries.
• Write a doctoral dissertation and co-author academic publications based on qualitative research.
• Contribute to the project’s comparative framework within the subproject; within the work package (Imperial Genealogies and Constitutional Formation) and between the work packages.

Communications &…