Postdoc: Diversity of Work in the Creative and Cultural Industries

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Starting period: October 2015

About the research project:

The research project The Diversity of Work in the Creative and Cultural Industries: Making it Work for Brussels aims to understand, by means of a multi-layered matrix of theoretical and methodological perspectives, the interrelations between creative and cultural careers (both formal and informal), fields of activities or sectors and their socio-spatial logic within the larger framework of the Brussels-Capital Region. Focusing on the complex yet challenging interrelations between work, culture/creativity and urban processes, the project focuses on three main axes of analysis that each involve a variety of methods (statistical data analysis and survey, ethnographic methods, qualitative in-depth interviews) and lines of questioning:

1) An axis of analysis that focuses on the sectors of CC production, because CC production is profoundly shaped by the ways in which its sectors are organised and how each sector is connected to the wider dynamics of formal education, public administration and subsidies, and commercial opportunity.

2) An axis that investigates the territories and spatial localisation of CC production because these industries heavily rely on agglomeration economies, tacit knowledge and informal networks that are situated in place.

3) A more transversal axis that highlights the position of workers in the world of CC production in the hope to better understand workers biographies, the obstacles they confront, the resources (especially public) on which they can rely, and the transitions and borders between informal CC work and the professional CC industries.

Job description:

The postdoctoral researcher will conduct research and assist in coordination of this project on the creative and cultural industries in the Brussels-Capital Region. The main research task of the postdoc is to conduct a sectoral analysis of a number of creative and cultural industries sectors in the Brussels-Capital Region (in principle, theatre, music and architecture) and to analyse the specific position of workers within these sectoral value chains in order to gain an understanding of how diversity is linked to existing stratifications, hierarchies and in/exclusions within each sector. Additionally, the postdoc is expected to conduct a series of in-depth interviews with key actors in the creative and cultural industries in order to establish a typology of work biographies and to understand the relations between these biographies and broader socio-economic factors such as education, income and cultural capital. Previous experience with in-depth interviews and qualitative data analysis is therefore a requirement for this position.

Job profile:

The researcher should have a PhD in a domain relevant to the project (i.e. urban studies, creative and cultural industries, cultural policy, labour sociology). Ideally, the researcher is fluent in French and Dutch and has excellent communication and writing skills in English. Knowledge of the cultural landscape of Brussels is considered favourably in the selection process.

Conditions of employment:

The postdoctoral researcher will be hired as postdoc bursary or regular employee, depending on nationality and work experience. International candidates (non-Belgian nationality, no previous work experience in Belgium, and PhD degree from a non-Belgian university) can be hired full-time (1.0 FTE, 38 hours per week) on a bursary scheme. Others will be hired as regular employees for approximately 0.7 FTE (exact FTE percentage depending on previous qualifications and work experience). The researcher will be hired for the period October 2015 – December 2016 (phase 1: 15 months) with expected extension until June 2018 (phase 2: 18 months).

Information and application:

For more information about the project and position, please contact Bas van Heur ([log in to unmask]) and Karel Vanhaesebrouck ([log in to unmask]). To apply, please e-mail a motivation letter and CV, including list of publications, to Bas van Heur and Karel Vanhaesebrouck before 10 July 2015. Interviews with postdoc candidates are scheduled for Wednesday 26 August.