Two doctoral positions are vacant at the Department of Urban and Rural Development at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
An autumn view over a Swedish forest landscape. Photo: Peter van der Meulen / Unsplash
The subject area rural development is based on several social science disciplines. It is about how the specific rural conditions are linked to regional, national and global change – and development processes. Important research areas are rural policy, natural resources and land use; social, political and economic relations; sustainability and migration.
Job description
The doctoral students will be part of Formas’ funded projects that investigate:
1) How migration changes the Swedish countryside and thereby the conditions for sustainability and social justice. The focus is on the relationship between society and the environment – the impact of migration on these and how nature-based integration can contribute to sustainable rural development in Sweden.
2) How to achieve climate change in places where forest conflicts are complex. Beyond the polarization that is highlighted in the media, in politics and research, what different solutions are there at the local level and in everyday life, and how can one build on them to influence politics at different levels? With an action-oriented approach, this project puts people and local institutions in focus and studies environmental management, digitalisation and how different perceptions of time affect climate change in forest contexts in Sweden.
The doctoral students will investigate complex processes around land use and rural and resource management, identities and future paths to sustainability through ethnographic research, historical studies and collaborative groups and discussions on site. Doctoral students are expected to spend a total of at least 8 months in the field.
Starting date is 1 May 2022.