About the position

The Democracy of Silence investigates silence as an integral dimension of democratic culture, challenging the assumption that participation must always be vocal or visible. The project explores how silence shapes democratic life, citizenship, and participation in both digital and offline contexts. We ask, how can we reimagine the democratic potentials of silence in a society that hinges on vocal ideals of citizenship? And, what kind of politics emerges when we embrace silence as a democratic value, rather than view it as a threat?

Our research group is interdisciplinary, bringing together expertise from media and communication, informatics, participatory design, musicology, cultural theory, theology, and beyond. As such, the project is inspired by and seeks to advance discussions in democratic theory (Habermas, 1996; Dahl, 1998), political philosophy (Vieira, 2020; Gray, 2021), aesthetics and cultural studies (Sontag, 1969; Blanchot, 1955; Yao, 2021), as well as recent work on digital societies and datafication (Bucher, 2020; Hesselberth & de Bloois, 2020). We welcome PhD projects from a wide range of disciplines, and media is understood here in its broadest sense, encompassing digital infrastructures, music/sound, AI, visuals, and more. The group’s work is organized through thematic collaboratories that address topics such as silent AI, embodied knowledge, political disaffection, the right to silence in contexts of free speech, and the design of information systems attentive to silence.

In this context, silence is not simply the opposite of speech or voice. Silence exists and manifests in a multiplicity of forms: gaps, pauses, hesitations, gestures and expressions, withdrawal, embodied or tacit knowledge, quietude, and stillness are all modes of silence that shape how dialogue and interaction occur and unfold.

The question then becomes: How might we rethink notions of democracy, participation, and speech if we begin not from the assumption that silence is a threat, but instead consider its immanent potential to question the status quo and confront limits? That is, what happens to our ideas of democratic life when we consider not speaking out – but instead expressing ourselves differently and exploring silence as a creative, productive force – as meaningful starting points?

More about the position

The PhD fellow will develop an independent research project that aligns with the overarching aims of The Democracy of Silence project, contributing to advancing both theoretical and methodological understandings of silence as a potentially affirmative democratic phenomenon. We seek candidates who demonstrate strong interdisciplinary and creative thinking skills, with the ability to conceptualize and empirically ground a project that explores silence beyond its conventional framing as mere absence or negation of speech/sound. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate across the project’s thematic collaboratories and engage with rich qualitative data derived from participatory workshops involving a wide range of stakeholders such as technologists, public sector workers, artists, policy makers, and scholars from multiple disciplines.

Applicants must submit a project proposal outlining the research question, theoretical framework, and methodological approach, as well as how the proposed project will contribute to the aims of The Democracy of Silence. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the principal investigator, Professor Taina Bucher, to receive the full project description. Professor Bucher will also serve as the main supervisor for the PhD candidate.

While the PhD project should clearly relate to the overall aims and research questions of The Democracy of Silence project, applicants are encouraged to formulate original and independent research questions and theoretical frameworks that mobilize silence as a democratic value. Projects do not need to replicate the existing collaboratories but should articulate a clear epistemological and conceptual position within the broad interdisciplinary scope of the project. Experience or interest in participatory, creative, and qualitative research methods is advantageous, but training will be provided as needed. The PhD fellow will become a core member of the research team, which includes Professor and PI Taina Bucher (Department of Media and Communication), Professor Tone Bratteteig (Department of Informatics), Professor Peter Edwards (Department of Musicology), and Associate Professor Robyn Boeré (Faculty of Theology).

The person appointed will be affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu or network and contribute to its development. Read more about the doctoral degree.

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant. Residence within commuting distance from Oslo is expected during the appointment.

Qualifications requirements and assessment criteria

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in media and communication, informatics, science and technology studies, sociology, political communication, cultural studies, design, musicology, aesthetics, philosophy, or other relevant fields. The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS credits. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year Master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality. The Master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation by the application deadline, and the degree must be awarded, with the final evaluation available, by September 1, 2025, prior to a potential interview.
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English. Proficiency in a Scandinavian language is desirable, as the project engages with empirical contexts, stakeholders, and policy documents in Norway and the Nordic region, and aims to contribute to both international and Scandinavian academic debates.
Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

The project's scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation, particularly with regards to its potential to reimagine the democratic potentials of silence.
The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
The applicant's ability to complete research training
Methodological skills in textual/cultural analysis and/or qualitative methods (including but not limited to participatory design and creative methods). A stated and PhD-project related interest in participatory workshop methods is considered desirable.
Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

Salary NOK 536 200 – 581 200 per annum depending on qualifications
A professionally stimulating working environment
Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
Attractive welfare benefits

How to apply

The application must include:

Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
Curriculum Vitae (with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications)
Diploma and transcript of records of your Bachelor’s and Master's degrees.
- For applicants with education from a Norwegian higher educational institution: Please retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades.
- Applicants with education from a foreign university: Please upload copies of your diploma in addition to copies of your transcripts or grades. You must also attach an official explanation of your university's grading system.
Documentation of Language requirements (if applicable). The appointed applicant will be asked to document these skills prior to admission to the PhD programme.
Project proposal, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3 - 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions)
Do not submit other certificates, articles, master theses and the like unless specifically requested. If further documentation is wanted for assessment, you will be asked to submit it later

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, jobbnorge.no.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

Formal regulations

See also regulations as well as guidelines for the application assessment process and appointments to research fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds

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