Post-doc fellowship in philosophy - ERC-Consolidator BildungLearning project
Bourse postdoctorale en philosophie - projet ERC-Consolidator « BildungLearning »
Abstract
The main objective of this project is to compare the modern philosophy of Bildung and the contemporary paradigm of the Learning Society (LS) by systematically analyzing their homological structures. Through this comparison, we aim to expose the important conceptual mutations of the ideal of educational autonomy occurring from the first paradigm to the latter.
Announcement
Presentation
12-month, full-time postdoc contract in philosophy, within the framework of the ERC-Consolidator BildungLearning project n°101043433 (https://bildunglearning.be/). The main objective of this project is to compare the modern philosophy of Bildung and the contemporary paradigm of the Learning Society (LS) by systematically analyzing their homological structures. Through this comparison, we aim to expose the important conceptual mutations of the ideal of educational autonomy occurring from the first paradigm to the latter This research combines history of philosophy and political philosophy. Through an analysis of political-educational narratives, we want to examine if the great narratives of the philosophical modernity – such as emancipation through self-cultivation – have become totally obsolete or ineffective, or if and how far they continue to be operating in current discourses under critical and fragmented forms.
General information
- Place of work: UCLouvain – Campus Saint-Louis Bruxelles
- Attachment: Centre Prospéro (https://www.centreprospero.be)
- Type of contract: 1-year contract, full-time post-doc fellowship in philosophy, within the framework of the ERC-Consolidator BildungLearning project n°101043433 (env. €2,500/month)
- Start date: from September 2026
Short description of the general research project
The main objective of this project is to compare the modern philosophy of Bildung and the contemporary paradigm of the Learning Society (LS) by systematically analyzing their homological structures. Through this comparison, we aim to expose the important conceptual mutations of the ideal of educational autonomy occurring from the first paradigm to the latter. This research combines history of philosophy and political philosophy and will follow a plan in four axes:
- Historical reconstruction of the texts formed around the concept of Bildung in classical German philosophy, through an original typology of the various and contrasting positions of the main authors of this period (Herder, Mendelssohn, Kant, Fichte, Schiller, Goethe, Schelling, Hegel, Humboldt), according to how they conceptualize the dialectics of educational autonomy and, in particular, how they theorize the political and cultural missions of the University in their conceptions of the emancipating project of the Bildung.
- Identification and analysis of the most significant critical transformations of the Bildung concept by Marx (allseitige Verwirklichung), Mill (self-development), Nietzsche (Zucht) and Dewey (growth), in order to bring to light the main theoretical divergences concerning the conditions of a partial reactivation and actualization of the modern emancipating project of the Bildung.
- Establishing a corpus of scientific and political texts and discourses on the LS, in order to provide a theoretical reconstruction of the underlying political philosophy of these discourses and to compare the paradigm of LS to the modern philosophy of Bildung following an analytical grid pointing out the conceptual and normative homologies and mutations between them.
- Testing the concrete relevance of this systematic comparison and of the heuristic potential of the Bildung philosophy in the context of the current mutations of the Idea of University, by mapping the most important philosophical critiques of these mutations and by proposing a philosophical reconstruction of the concept of academic freedom in the light of the Bildung constellation first, and then from the various normative points of view underlying the critiques of Bildung and LS.
Through an analysis of political-educational narratives, we want to examine if the great narratives of the philosophical modernity – such as emancipation through self-cultivation – have become totally obsolete or ineffective, or if and how far they continue to be operating in current discourses under critical and fragmented forms.
Eligibility
- The candidate must hold a PhD in philosophy (or equivalent) delivered before the start date of the mandate.
Mission and activities
The candidate will be expected to contribute to the advancement of the research project within the fourth research area—one of the four outlined above—in collaboration with the project leader, Quentin Landenne (FNRS/UCLouvain), with a particular focus on the philosophical reconstruction of the principle of academic freedom, in connection with the philosophies of Bildung. This will involve, as the main task, coordinating the editing of a collection of texts on the philosophies of academic freedom, including, among other things, the preparation of the critical apparatus for the texts and, where necessary, their translation, in collaboration with the project leader. Proficiency in French is required to carry out this project. In-depth knowledge (demonstrated by prior research) of the philosophical tradition of Bildung and/or the theoretical literature on academic freedom is an important asset.
She or he may be invited to participate in the research activities of the Centre Prospéro. The successful candidate will also be asked to live in Belgium for the duration of the contract.
Application procedures
Composition of an application file in French or English (in a single file in PDF format) containing :
- Curriculum vitae
- A cover letter outlining a postdoctoral research proposal, suggesting ways to contribute to the overall project, as well as a summary and a proposed outline for the anthology on philosophy of academic freedom (maximum 3 pages)
Applications must be sent to the following addresses: quentin.landenne@uclouvain.be (main recipient) and anne-sophie.declercq@uclouvain.be (cc),
by June 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm (Brussels)
Interviews with shortlisted candidates will be held online. The hiring process will follow the guidelines defined in the Action plan: achieving excellence through diversity and gender equality carried out by the university.
European funding for the project
Research funded by the European Union (BildungLearning, ERC project No. 101043433). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Places
- Boulevard du Jardin botanique 43
Brussels, Belgium
Keywords
- émancipation, autonomie éducative, bildung, learning society
Contact(s)
- Quentin Landenne
courriel : quentin [dot] landenne [at] uclouvain [dot] be
Reference Urls
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Post-doc fellowship in philosophy - ERC-Consolidator BildungLearning project », Scholarship, prize and job offer, Calenda, Published on Friday, June 05, 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/16cbt
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