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Applications are invited for a funded PhD studentship at the University of Aberdeen, starting in October 2014, to work on :Islam and Secularism in Contemporary Europe (Elphinstone PhD scholarships)Supervisor 1 - Dr Nadia KiwanSupervisor 2 - To be allocated according to doctoral projectThis doctoral research project will explore the relationship between Islam and secularism in contemporaryEurope, with a specific focus on the ways in which secular and Islamic discourses, thought and identities interact and co-exist. The research project thus challenges polarizing accounts of Islam and Muslims in Europe, which have formed the dominant mode of enquiry since the 1970s. The research project will depart from the ‘clash of civilizations’ approach (Huntington1996) which continues to structure much academic research about Islam, even if such an approach sometimes remains implicit rather than explicit. This research project is concerned with how diverse groups of Muslim individuals define Islam in varied ways and takes at its starting point the claim that the categories of religion and the secular are more closely intertwined than we might assume (Asad 2003; Triandafyllidou, Modood and Meer 2011). The successful doctoral candidate may choose, in discussion with his/her supervisor(s), to focus on how European Muslim artists, civil society organisations, individuals, institutions or political representatives intervene in the European public sphere in ways which contribute to the critical and productive co-existence of Islamic and secular identities within and across contemporary democratic societies. Additionally, the research project could also investigate the emergence of a European Islamic secularism and explore the political, social and cultural consequences of such a phenomenon. It is envisaged that the doctoral project will have a strong comparative dimension, focusing on the theme of Islam and secularism across at least two European societies which might include, for example,France, theUK,Germany, theNetherlandsand/orSpain, amongst others.The project will involve desk-based research and qualitative empirical research (such as interviews and participant observation) as appropriate. The specific methodology will need to be developed according to the particular project proposal and in consultation with the supervisor(s).  The project will be interdisciplinary in nature, working with conceptual frameworks drawn from Modern Languages (and in particular, Language-based Area Studies and Cultural Studies), Sociology and Anthropology of Religion, Philosophy, Critical Theory and Religious Studies. In terms of the theoretical apparatus, it is envisaged that the project will take up themes such as alterity, citizenship, community, identity, multiculturalism, recognition, social movements and/or subjectivity. Such theoretical approaches will be foregrounded in so far as they allow the project to move beyond Same-Other intellectual paradigms which have consistently posited European Islam as a socially divisive threat. Indeed, this doctoral project should aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Muslim populations within contemporary Europe’s multi-faith (and no-faith) public spheres.For further details regarding this studentship, please visit: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/graduate/french-336.phpFor informal enquiries regarding the above PhD project, please contact Dr Nadia Kiwan (n.kiwan@abdn.ac.uk)To apply for an Elphinstone PhD Scholarship, you should apply for a PhD place in the normal way, stating:‘Elphinstone PhD Scholarship’ in the Intended Source of Funding sectionThe name of the lead supervisor in the Name of Proposed Supervisor sectionThe title of the specific research project in the Outline Summary sectionCandidates should simultaneously register their desire to be considered by emailing the Graduate School Administrator, Ann Marie Johnston, at a.m.johnston@abdn.ac.uk.The date by which the above should be undertaken is Friday 6 June 2014.  Selection will be made on the basis of academic merit.