Missions

Project summary

What do we know about Parliaments in Africa, apart from their depreciated image? While parliaments are central institution of representative democracy and have attracted a large body of scholarly work, political scientists specializing in the African continent have shown surprisingly little interest (Ambasa et al. 2022, Mède and Perez 2022). When they do, African parliaments are most often considered as an explanatory variable of democratization or, conversely, of regime "bankruptcy". They are also seen as indicators of "institutional performance". In contrast to the abundant literature available on other areas (Rozenberg and Thiers 2018, Martin et al. 2014, Crewe et al. 2022), and despite a few exceptions (Boutaleb and Ferrié 2008, Mattes and Mozaffar 2011, Mède and Perez 2022, Bauer 2012), existing work has done little to investigate parliamentarians' careers, lives, their profiles and mundane practices, singularly in Francophone Africa. The PARLAF project aims to fill these gaps by addressing two related questions: who are African MPs, and how do they fulfill their mission?

To do this, PARLAF brings together often compartmentalized academic sub-fields: parliamentary studies, political sociology of institutions, sociology of work and areas studies. On the one hand, the PARLAF team intends to place the parliamentary institution, via the analysis of its actors, at the heart of the study of politics in Africa. This would bring new insights on processes of parliamentary institutionalization, on the increasing social diversity in parliament staff recruitment, or on the concrete roles of MPs. On the other hand, the team wishes to decenter largely Western parliamentary studies and political sociology. From Africa, we question the contours of the “political profession” notion and its heuristic dimension (Gaxie 1973, Offerlé 1999). Methodologically, the project uses empirical research mixed methods (statistics, prosopography and ethnography) and compares four countries that have rarely been studied together: Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Two lines of research are being developed. The first is a prosopography of elected MPs since independence, based on the collection of archives and printed sources. The second is a study parliamentary roles and activities, based on interviews and observations

Job description

The 18-month postdoctoral contract is attached to the CERAPS research center (UMR CNRS 8026) and Lille University. It is part of the collective research ANR PARLAF supervised by Emmanuelle Bouilly (full professor in political science, PI) and conducted by an international team.

The person recruited will contribute to the two lines of research identified above: prosopography of MPs and qualitative survey of parliamentary roles and activities. He/she will be in charge of developing the survey of/in Ivory Coast. Fieldwork trips in France and Ivory Coast are therefore planned. Together with the PARLAF members and possibly interns, he/she will contribute to code and analyze the data. In addition, the person recruited is expected to promote the results of his/her post-doctoral research in national and international communications and publications, either on his/her own or in collaboration with members of the project.

He/she will take part in regular PARLAF activities (meetings, research seminars, writing workshops, dissemination activities). Finally, he/she will work with the PI on the scientific coordination of the project.

Personal activities aimed at pursuing an academic career, such as applying for a permanent position, will be included in working time.

Activités

- Academic research (literature review, collection of archives and printed sources, data entry, substantial fieldwork surveys in Ivory Coast, data analysis, publications): 70% ;
- Scientific and administrative assistance with the PI (organization of team meetings and scientific events, assistance with the production of reports, etc.): 10% ;
- Development of own career (publications of previous work, applications, etc.): 20%.

Compétences

- PhD degree in political science or, secondarily, in sociology, anthropology or history, ; for non-EU nationals, this may be an equivalent university degree (5 years of study).
- Good knowledge of the scientific literature related to the PARLAF project: elites, political profession, political institutions, parliamentarism, prosopography and mixed methods.
- Significant fieldwork and survey experience in Africa, preferably Ivory Coast, with at least one publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Good knowledge of Ivory Coast political and electoral system.
- Mastery of qualitative methods, and/or archival work, and/or prosopography.
- Language skills: proficiency in French and English. Preferably, fluency in one of the languages spoken in Ivory Coast and ability to conduct fieldwork without interpreter.
- Demonstration of the following skills: writing and analytical skills; autonomy and organizational skills; ability to learn and develop skills; adaptability and initiative; ability to work within rules and procedures; ability to work as part of a team on a comparative project.

Contexte de travail

The postdoctoral contract:

An 18-month full-time fixed-term contract starting October 1, 2025 (The contract start date can be postponed for up to 3 months after discussion with the PI)

Salaries range from € 3021,50 to 3451,50 depending on seniority

Travel to France and Ivory Coast to collect archives and conduct interviews is to be expected. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered. Similarly, if the person recruited lives in Lille, the urban transport season ticket will be reimbursed in accordance with current regulations.

The results of the research will be published, signed in the recruited person's own name or in collaboration with members of the PARLAF team. These future publications should specify that the postdoctoral research has received financial support from the ANR. They should also be deposited in an open science archive, preferably HAL.

Compensation and Benefits

The person recruited will work under the supervision of Prof. Emmanuelle Bouilly.
He/she will join the PARLAF team: a dozen of junior and senior researchers based in France, Morocco, Senegal and Quebec

The person recruited will be based at the CERAPS (Centre d'études et de recherches administratives, politiques et sociales) at the Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Politiques et Sociales (FSJPS) of the University of Lille (Moulins campus) https://ceraps.univ-lille.fr. The postdoctoral fellow may be involved in future CERAPS research axes, notably "Participation, representation, democracy", or "International, Europe(s), transnational".

On-site presence of at least 2 days a week will be required.

In addition, an office will be provided at CERAPS. Depending on personal needs, a computer and the equipment needed for field surveys (software, recorder, etc.) may be made available.

Informations complémentaires

Application procedure:

Applications must be submitted by July 16, 2025.

It must include:
- A cover letter (2 pages, single-spaced) describing the candidate's suitability for the job offer;
- A copy of the PhD diploma if the thesis has been defended;
- The defense report if the thesis has been defended;
- A detailed CV with contact information for 3 academic referees (surname, first name, current position and contact details);
- Two publications, including at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal. Works in progress must be accompanied by a certificate from the editorial board or publishing house.

Job interview

Following a pre-selection of applications, an interview will be organized in Lille between August 18 and 25, 2025. As travel expenses are not covered, the interview may be held by videoconference.