"Postdoctoral Position in Talking Empire Project at University of Southern Denmark"

The Department of Language and Culture at the University of Southern Denmark (Odense, Denmark) invites applications for a fully funded 3-year postdoctoral position as part of the research project “TALKING EMPIRE: Prime Ministerial Rhetoric and the Search for a Usable Past in Post-Imperial Britain (1960-2025)”, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation.

The position is expected to begin on 1 February 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. We seek a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher to join a four-year collaborative research project led by Associate Professor Christian Damm Pedersen.

About the “TALKING EMPIRE” project:

This project examines the enduring legacies of empire in British politics (1960-2025) through a rhetorical analysis of prime ministers’ uses of the imperial past in public speeches and writings. By shedding new light on how the world’s largest empire has been reimagined, mythologized, and contested after its dissolution, we will provide historical context for contemporary discussions on colonialism’s continuing impact in Britain and beyond. Specifically, this project explains how heads of governments have used and abused the imperial past for political purposes, combining historical research and rhetorical analysis with digital humanities methods.

Job description:

The postdoc will contribute original research to the project by identifying patterns in prime ministerial rhetoric and imperial references and advancing our understanding of the persistence of imperial legacies in UK domestic and international politics as well as the impact of competing memories of the colonial past on debates about Britain’s future. While open to the candidate’s proposal, we welcome projects that conduct quantitative analysis on a comprehensive digital corpus of prime ministerial speeches and/or qualitative studies focusing on key speeches and rhetorical themes.

The postdoc will be based at the Department for Culture and Language and will be affiliated as a member of the Empires, States and Imperialism research group as well as the Centre for Cold Studies. These affiliations ensure strong local research support and mentoring.

Eligibility and requirements:

• PhD in History, Rhetoric, Digital humanities, Linguistics, English, Memory Studies, Politics, Prime Ministerial Studies, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in modern and contemporary British history, political rhetoric, digital history, or post-imperial/post-colonial studies, or closely related areas.
• Experience with digital history or digital humanities methods is an advantage.
• Given the project’s nature, candidates must be able to work independently and have excellent teamwork skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Key responsibilities:

• Contribute actively to independent and collaborative research activities in line with the aims of project, including co-authoring publications and other scholarly outputs.
• Co-organize seminars, workshops, and conferences related to the project.
• Undertake administrative tasks necessary for the smooth running of the project.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration between the core project team and external international partners, especially those based at the University of Exeter (UK) and Utrecht University (Netherlands), as well as other collaborators and advisors.
• Participate actively in project meetings, workshops and writing retreats, as well as the broader activities of the Empires, States and Imperialism research group and the Centre for Cold War Studies.
• Engage in outreach and dissemination activities to share project results with academic and non-academic audiences.

Contact information

Further information is available from Principal Investigator Christian Damm Pedersen (cdp@sdu.dk, phone: +45 65508382) or Vice Head of Department Anne Klara Bom (akbom@sdu.dk).

Questions related to exam documents, CV etc. please contact humfak-hr@sdu.dk.

Application deadline: 4 September 2025, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST).