Vacant job

Södertörn University welcomes doctoral proposals in History, to be conducted within the research project: “Money(-)making empire. Monetary policies and practices in the Swedish Baltic Empire, ca. 1600–1800”. Visit the project website for more information: https://moneymakingempire.se/.

The project “Money(-)making Empire” examines monetary evolution in the Baltic Sea region within the broader context of early modern Northern Europe, using the Swedish Empire as a case study. Conceptualising the empire as a polycentric polity, the project challenges nation-state–centred historiography and instead analyses money as a transregional lens through which flows of power, conflict, and integration can be traced across imperial spaces. Monetary policy was central to both warfare and empire-building and its effects extended far beyond Sweden proper, influencing peasants, soldiers, merchants, urban authorities, and foreign rulers across the Baltic Sea Region. For more information, please visit: https://ostersjostiftelsen.se/project/money-making-empire-monetary-policies-and-practices-in-the-swedish-baltic-empire-ca-1600-1800/.

History at Södertörn University is a dynamic environment for historical research and education, with researchers who specialise in a variety of time periods and societal or cultural processes. Sweden, the Nordics, and the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe are the main geographical areas of expertise. For more information, please visit: https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/research/subjects/history. For a Swedish version: https://www.sh.se/institutioner--amnen/institutionen-for-historia-och-samtidsstudier/historia

The Department of History is part of the Historical Studies research area at Södertörn University, an area of the humanities in which aspects of society, culture and heritage are studied from different perspectives. For more information, please visit: https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/research/doctoral-level-education/historical-studies. For a Swedish version: https://www.sh.se/forskning/forskarutbildning/forskarutbildningsomraden/historiska-studier.

Description of the doctoral position

The successful applicants will complete their doctoral theses as part of the project and within its thematic and theoretical framework. These doctoral projects may adopt a range of perspectives, such as analyses of monetary practices and discourses among and/or between different social groups (such as the nobility, merchants, peasants, and burghers), as well as political and administrative discourses, policies, and practices at the imperial, national, and/or local levels. We therefore welcome applications that encompass the full spectrum of approaches, from macro- to micro-level studies of social and cultural relations and practices, provided that they align with the project’s aims.

The project advances three interrelated analytical perspectives. First, it emphasises the polycentric nature of the Swedish Empire, integrating its Baltic and German provinces into a single framework and showing how power was negotiated through multiple institutional and social centres. Second, it treats money not merely as an economic instrument but as a practical and socially embedded problem, foregrounding everyday monetary practices, coin shortages, and alternative means of exchange among ordinary people. Third, it focuses on circulation, examining how money, knowledge, and practices moved across regions and how popular reactions – petitions, protests and riots – both responded to and constrained state policy. Methodologically, the project combines quantitative analysis with qualitative readings. Beyond its historical contribution, the project offers comparative insights into early modern composite states and provides a historically grounded perspective on contemporary monetary integration and tension in the Baltic Sea region and Europe more broadly.

The work environment at Södertörn University, as well as within the research project, is bilingual, with both Swedish and English as working languages.

Entry requirements

The general entry requirements are:

1. a second-cycle qualification, or

2. fulfilled requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or

3. substantially equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

The Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. (Ordinance 2010:1064)

Specific entry requirements

The specific entry requirements are met by someone who has at least 90 credits in History, Economic History, the History of Ideas or the equivalent and who has authored an independent dissertation in History worth at least 15 credits at Master’s level. Prerequisites for undertaking the degree programme are the ability to assimilate scientific work in English and command of the language necessary for work on the thesis.

Eligible applicants will first be ranked according to their ability to assimilate education at research level, then other qualifications will be reviewed on the basis of this ranking.

The applicant’s communication and cooperation skills may also be assessed using references and interviews.

Admission and employment

This position includes admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship at the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies at Södertörn University. The intended outcome for admitted students is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. The position may be extended by a maximum of one year due to the inclusion of departmental duties, i.e. education, research and/or administration (equivalent to no more than 20% of full-time). Other grounds for extension could be leave of absence because of illness or for service in the defence forces, an elected position in a trade union/student organisation, or parental leave. Provisions relating to employment on a doctoral studentship are in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

Date of employment: 1 January 2027

Please visit our website for more information about the application procedure Vacant positions | Södertörn University

Application deadline: 9 August 2026 at 23:59