Doctoral Candidate (DC5) – Hybrid Secularism and Constitutional Pluralism

About this position

The MINARET Doctoral Network invites applications for a doctoral position (DC5) at the University of Granada (Spain) on “Hybrid Secularism and Constitutional Pluralism.”

Doctoral Candidate Position (DC5) – Hybrid Secularism and Constitutional Pluralism

Research Project

The doctoral project explores hybrid models of secularism and constitutional legitimacy, with a comparative focus on Morocco and Indonesia. Both countries have developed constitutional systems that combine religious and secular sources of legitimacy. The project will examine how these hybrid constitutional orders manage religious and societal diversity, incorporate religious values into constitutional arrangements, and contribute to governance and constitutional stability.

The project forms part of the MINARET Doctoral Network, which trains 15 doctoral candidates in the sociology of post-imperial Islamic legal cultures, with a regional focus on Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. The programme examines the interactions between law, religion, and governance in Muslim-majority societies shaped by imperial legacies and ongoing processes of constitutional transformation.

The programme has three main objectives:

• To advance empirical and theoretical research on the interconnections between law, religion, governance, constitutionalism, democratization, and security in post-imperial Muslim-majority societies.
• To provide sustainable interdisciplinary doctoral training across disciplines, sectors, and regions.
• To strengthen policy outreach and societal impact by translating research findings into workshops, conferences, publications, policy briefs, and stakeholder engagement activities.

Doctoral candidates will be hosted at one of the leading European universities within the MINARET consortium and will work closely with academic and non-academic partners across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America.

Position and Contract

The position is a full-time Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network position with a duration of 36 months, in accordance with the MINARET recruitment framework.

The successful candidate will be employed as a doctoral researcher at the University of Granada for the duration of the project and will receive the benefits and training opportunities associated with the MSCA Doctoral Network.

Training, Fieldwork and Secondments

Doctoral candidates will benefit from joint supervision, international and intersectoral secondments, advanced methodological and transferable skills training, and opportunities to connect academic research with policy and professional practice.

Fieldwork and secondments are integral components of the MINARET Doctoral Programme. The successful candidate will be required to undertake international fieldwork and two international secondments abroad: one academic and one non-academic secondment, each lasting between two and six months.

Through collaboration with universities, civil society organisations, think tanks, public institutions, and development agencies, the doctoral candidate will gain first-hand experience of legal, political, and governance transformations in post-imperial Muslim-majority societies.

The successful candidate will also participate in conferences, network training events, and other MINARET activities, work collaboratively within an international research team, and contribute to the wider scientific and societal objectives of the project.

Supervision

The doctoral candidate will be supervised at the University of Granada by:

• Principal Supervisor:
• Rafael Martínez Martín
• Email: rmmartin@ugr.es

• Co-Supervisor:
• Tamara Álvarez Lorente
• Email: talvarezlorente@ugr.es

For any questions or requests for clarification regarding the research project, doctoral position, supervision, or other aspects of the position, prospective applicants are welcome to contact the supervisors using the email addresses provided above.

Eligibility

To be eligible, candidates must have obtained a degree that formally entitles them to start a doctorate, either in the country where the degree was obtained or in the country where the researcher is recruited.

Candidates must not have been awarded a doctoral degree and must not have completed more than four years of full-time equivalent research experience.

Candidates must also not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g. work or studies) in Spain for more than 12 months during the three years immediately preceding the recruitment date.

The successful candidate will be required to work as part of an international research team, travel to conferences and MINARET network training events, undertake international fieldwork, and participate in both academic and non-academic secondments abroad.

For further information on the MINARET Doctoral Network and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, please consult the relevant project and programme information provided in the application materials.