Description du sujet de thèse

As part of its "International Action" program, the CNRS Mission pour les Initiatives Transverses et Interdisciplinaires (MITI) has rewarded the research project Devenir député en Afrique: sociologie politique comparée des rôles et du travail des députés (Becoming a Member of Parliament in Africa: comparative political sociology of parliamentary roles and work) supervised by Emmanuelle Bouilly, full professor at Lille University and member of CERAPS. A 36-month doctoral contract is now open to a person with a Master's degree in political science (secondarily in political sociology, or in political anthropology), to carry out doctoral research in political science on the identified theme.

Description of thesis subject

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 thesis proposal submitted by the candidate will address this gap. The thesis project would investigate the notion of “political profession” (Gaxie 1973, Offerlé 1999), and specifically inquiry parliamentary roles and work. It will study how African MPs define their roles, invest in them and carry them out. In a word, what does the parliamentary function consist of, and how is it progressively assumed and performed? Answering this question will require empirical study of MPs and their practices, paying attention to their careers, historical and political configurations, institutional and informal rules – which vary over time – and the material conditions.
In addition, the thesis project submitted will focus exclusively on sitting and/or formerly elected MPs in Senegal and/or in Ivory Coast. A comparative approach – in time or space – would be appreciated here, but is not compulsory. However, fieldwork research is to be planned.

In doing so, this PhD thesis will discuss and contribute to parliamentary studies, (comparative) political sociology, the sociology of institutions and the sociology of work, in Africa and elsewhere.

To this end, the applicant must submit a research design of 20,000 characters (including space and excluding bibliography) that details – in according to his/her own interests – the research question, the state of art, hypothesis, the methodology, the sampling – if applicable, and a timetable clearly indicating the fieldwork trips.

Contexte de travail

Job environment

The successful candidate will complete a PhD thesis in political science, written in French, at Lille University, under the supervision of Emmanuelle Bouilly, full professor, and PI of the ANR PARLAF. A joint supervision may be possible, on the applicant's proposal.

The person recruited will be based at the research center CERAPS (Centre d'études et de recherches administratives, politiques et sociales) at the Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Politiques et Sociales (FSJPS) of the Lille University https://ceraps.univ-lille.fr. The PhD fellow may be involved in future CERAPS research axes, notably "Participation, representation, democracy", or "International, Europe(s), transnational". He or she will also be part of the École doctorale des sciences juridiques, politiques et de gestion (SJPG-74).

The future PhD student will benefit from the intellectual environment of the ANR PARLAF research team, which is doing a prosopography based on archives and printed sources on MPs elected since independence in 4 countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast). PARLAF questions and compares the morphological and political evolutions of these 4 national assemblies. The PARLAF team brings together a dozen researchers, both tenured and non-tenured, working in France, Morocco, Senegal and Quebec. The PhD student will be encouraged to take part in the regular activities of the team (reading and writing seminars, informal workshops to discuss members' work, conferences, etc.). She or he will thus benefit from a dynamic research environment and an international network.

Employment terms

The person recruited will have the status of CERAPS member. An office at CERAPS and a computer will be provided.

The cost of commuting to and from job office can be covered in accordance with the rules in force at Lille University (75% of the urban transport pass if the person lives in Lille).

Future publications will have to mention the financial support obtained from CNRS/MITI program, and will be deposited in an open science archive, preferably HAL.

Informations complémentaires

Profile and qualifications required:

- A research Master's degree, primarily in political science, and secondarily in political sociology or political anthropology; for non-EU nationals, this may be an equivalent university degree (5 years of study).
- Previous experience of a fieldwork research, or at least an internship, in Africa.
- Language skills: proficiency in French and English. Communications and publications in academic conferences and journals are expected. The PhD thesis would be written in French.
- Preferably, fluency in one of the languages spoken in Senegal, or in Ivory Coast, and ability to conduct fieldwork without interpreter.
- Demonstration of the following skills: writing skills, ability to design and manage a scientific project, autonomy and organizational skills, ability to draft progress reports, adaptability and initiative.

Application procedure:

Applications must be submitted by July 16, 2025. It must include:

- A cover letter (1 to 2 pages single-spaced);
- A copy of the Master's degree (or a certificate if you are in the process of obtaining one);
- Transcripts for both years of the Master's program;
- Master's research dissertation (and defense report if available);
- A detailed CV;
- A thesis proposal of 20,000 characters (including space and excluding bibliography) detailing how the candidate intends to contribute to the research theme (supra);
- Two letters of recommendation.

Job interview

Following a pre-selection, 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.