Postdoc anthropologie cognitive

‘Explaining Religion’ Post-doctoral researcher
Experimental Research on Intuitive and Reflective Ontologies and Inferences

Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS, EHSS, ENS), Paris and University of Oxford

We are seeking to recruit a post-doctoral researcher as part of an international project entitled Explaining Religion. Funded by the European Commission, the project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of world-leading experts, consultants, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students to develop a highly integrated and scientifically rigorous programme of research on the cognitive foundations of religious thought and behaviour. Post-doctoral researchers will have the unique opportunity to work closely with experts in world-leading centres for psychological and anthropological research on cognition and religion in Europe and the United States of America, to present research plans and findings to specialist audiences at project workshops and conferences, and to disseminate their research in a wide range of project publications.

The core expert consortium on the project includes Project Coordinator, Professor Harvey Whitehouse (Head of School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford), nine European Partners (Dr Jesse Bering, Queen’s University Belfast; Dr Istvan Czachesz, University of Groningen; Prof. Robin Dunbar, University of Liverpool; Prof. Ernst Fehr, University of Zurich; Prof. Armin Geertz, University of Aarhus; Prof. Fernand Gobet, Brunel University; Prof. Boicho Kokinov, New Bulgarian University; Prof. Josef Perner, University of Salzburg; and Prof. Dan Sperber, CNRS) and five North American Consultants (Prof. David Bjorklund, Prof. Paul Bloom, Prof. Pascal Boyer, Prof. Dedre Gentner, and Prof. Henry Wellman).

The post will commence on 1st September 2007 and will be for 24 months. The project will continue thereafter for a further 12 months and post-holders will be eligible to apply for continuing post-doctoral research positions. During the first 24 months, research will mainly be based at the Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS, EHESS, ENS) in Paris, France, with an initial short-term secondment to the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen’s University Belfast. The researcher will be required to develop a programme of research under the supervision of Dan Sperber on “Intuitive and reflective ontologies and inferences.” In the recent past, there has been groundbreaking work on intuitive ontologies of natural and supernatural concrete entities. In order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of religious ontologies and inferences, the goal will be to complement and articulate this work with research on the ontology and the inferential role of more abstract entities and properties such as faith, sin, grace, mana, and other norms, values, and powers that are typically involved in more reflective forms of religious thinking.

The final phase of the project (Sept 09-Aug 10) will bring all post-doctoral researchers together at the University of Oxford to work jointly on a series of sub-projects under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and the Research Coordinator.

The post-doctoral researcher should have undergraduate and/or postgraduate training and experience in experimental methodologies (e.g. in developmental, cognitive or social psychology), including hypothesis testing, experimental design and data collection and analysis, as well as in social sciences (anthropology or sociology). Familiarity with analytical philosophy will be considered a plus. Doctoral degrees must be completed before appointment to the post. Although previous research on religion is not essential, candidates should be able to demonstrate familiarity with core theories and findings in the cognitive science of religion. Candidates should be effective team players and independent researchers who can work to deadline and who are able to communicate effectively across disciplines. Fluent spoken and written English and fluent spoken French are essential.

The salary is €1770 per month (net).

Candidates are invited to submit an application (in English) including a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a statement of interest, and two letters of recommendation. The application should be sent directly to Dan Sperber at sperber@ehess.fr.

Applications should be submitted by Friday 20th April 2007

For informal enquires, email Dan Sperber at sperber@ehess.fr

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