The Department of Language and Culture at the University of Southern Denmark (Odense, Denmark) invites applications for a fully funded 3-year PhD scholarship 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 PhD fellow 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, enhancing our understanding of their critical role as agents of contested postcolonial memories, combining historical research and rhetorical analysis with digital humanities methods.

Job description:
The PhD fellow will contribute original research to the project by developing a subproject aligned with the overall aims of “Talking Empire” – for example, by focusing on the uses and abuses of the imperial past in prime ministerial rhetoric during the crucial transition from empire to post-empire, spanning the 1960s to the end of the Cold War.

The PhD Fellow 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 War Studies. These affiliations ensure strong local research support and mentoring.

Key responsibilities:

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

Develop an independent subproject in line with the overall aims of “Talking Empire” and conduct research at the doctoral level.
Apply relevant qualitative and/or digital humanities methods and conduct archival research to analyze political speeches in historical context.
Participate in collaborative research activities, including co-organizing seminars and workshops, engaging in academic conferences and public outreach, and potentially co-authoring project publications.
Undertake a research stay in the UK.
Gain relevant teaching experience.
Contribute to the activities of the Empires, States and Imperialism research group and the Centre for Cold War Studies.

Key assessment criteria:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in History, Rhetoric, Political Science, English, Digital Humanities, or a related field.
Demonstrated interest in modern and contemporary British history, political rhetoric, memory studies, or imperial/postcolonial studies.
Strong analytical and research skills.
Experience with digital humanities methods and/or archival research is an advantage.
Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative, international team.
Excellent written and spoken English.

About the department
The Department of Culture and Language has approximately 200 employees, covering a wide range of subjects and research interests, including American Studies, Audiologopaedia, Classical Studies, Communication, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Danish, English, German, History, Middle Eastern Studies, Organisational Communication, Philosophy and the Study of Religion.

The Department of Culture and Language is located on the island of Funen at the university's main campus in Odense – the third-largest city in Denmark with 200.000 inhabitants. Odense provides family-friendly living conditions in a historic city with an urban feel where nature and other recreational areas are never far away. The city has excellent connections with public transportation to Aarhus and Copenhagen.

We recommend that as an international applicant you take the time to visit Working in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

Contact information:
Further information is available from Principal Investigator Christian Damm Pedersen (cdp@sdu.dk, phone: +4565508382) or Vice Head of Department Kristine Kjærsgaard (kristinek@sdu.dk).

For questions related to exam documents, CV etc. please send a mail to humfak-hr@sdu.dk

Terms of employment:
A PhD Fellowship is a three-year position. Employment ends automatically by the end of the period. The holder of the fellowship is not allowed to have other paid employment during the three-year period.

The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations),

Cirkulære om overenskomst for Akademikere i staten 2025 (the document only exists in Danish).

The Application
Applicants are encouraged to read the information under “How to Apply” before submitting. To qualify for the PhD position, you must have obtained a Master’s degree by the application deadline. The evaluation will be based on the application materials, which must include:

An application must include:

Cover letter (max. 1-1.5 pages), outlining research interests, your motivation, and fit for the project.
Special PhD-application form found here
CV (max. 3 pages), including contact information for academic referees.
Brief tentative project proposal (max. 2 pages), describing a potential PhD subproject within the scope of the Talking Empire project as outlined above.
Academic transcripts and degree certificates.
Writing samples / publications for assessment (max. 2). Please attach one pdf-file for each publication. For any publication with a co-author, a co-author statement must be submitted as part of the pdf-file

Application and all appendices must be in English, Danish or one of the Scandinavian languages. Only material in English, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish will be assessed. Please always include a copy of original diploma/certificates.

Please always include a copy of original diploma/certificates. We only accept files in pdf-format no more than 10 MB per file. In case you have more than one file per field you need to combine the pdf-files into a single file, as each field handles only one file. We do not accept zip-files, jpg or other image files. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected.

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the Faculty of Humanities may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

Assessment and Evaluation Process
Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will receive an evaluation. Read more about shortlisting at SDU here: (shortlisting on SDU). Applications will be reviewed by an assessment committee, and shortlisted applicants will receive the part of the evaluation relevant to them. The committee may request additional information, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the necessary documentation. Interviews and tests may also form part of the overall assessment.

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

The University is signatory of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). We wish our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Further information about the PhD-program at the Faculty of Humanities can be found here.

🕑 | Odense M | 04-09-2025

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