The PhD will be based at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Basel and be part of the SNSF Starting Grant Project: “Curated Escapes and Derelict Landscapes in Times of Climate Change”. The research group investigates how ecological shifts create landscapes that are rhetorically or effectively becoming uninhabitable (“Derelict Landscapes”) and at the same time become captured and curated as strategies for wealthy and powerful elites to escape climate catastrophe (“Curated Escapes”). Through case studies in Namibia, South Africa, Antarctica, Mauritius, Sierra Leone and beyond, the project examines how these landscapes are shaped by colonial histories, racialised ideologies, and capitalist practices. By exploring their political ecology and environmental histories, the project engages with questions surrounding land, ecologies, and inequalities in times of climate change.
The successful candidate’s appointment should begin on September 1, 2025 (a later start date is possible).
The position is limited to 1 year with the option of a 3-year extension after a successful evaluation.
Application Deadline: 15 March 2025
Click here for more information.
For questions please contact Luregn Lenggenhager (PI): Luregn.Lenggenhager@unibas.ch
