-

-

The Postdoc researcher will be conduc;ng their research within the Subproject C:
Dis/entangling routes of labour: Tracing diasporic and recruitment pathways of hospital
workersin collabora;on with Prof. Dr. Jelena Tosic at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.
Subproject C zooms in on diasporic and transna;onal contexts of lives and livelihoods
of reproduc;ve hospital workers. The project begins with an ini;al 4-month-fieldwork phase
in Switzerland and Austria, where the Postdoc researcher joins the research teams of
subprojects A (Switzerland) and B (Austria). The main mul;-sited fieldwork phase (12 months)
will employ mul;-sited and mobile ethnography to trace diasporic transna;onal networks,
prac;ces, and recruitment pathways of hospital workers to and from their countries of origin
– with a par;cular focus on the post-Yugoslav region (and including a short fieldwork stay in
Colombia). This ethnographic focus includes family, friendship, and professional networks (e.g.
educa;onal ins;tu;ons, former hospital workplaces) to reconstruct not only migra;on
regimes and routes of recruitment but also to understand the educa;onal and social
resources, funds of knowledge, and culturally informed valua;ons of care and maintenance
labour from diasporic (long-term histories of migra;on and connec;on) and transna;onal
(recent labour migra;on) perspec;ves. Addi;onally, subproject C will also look at for-profit
labour migra;on intermediaries (e.g. professional recruitment agencies, temporary staffing
firms, and migra;on brokers) as key drivers of transna;onal mobility in the healthcare sector.
Subproject C will thereby explore how agencies and hospital workers, ins;tu;ons and
individuals are entangled in various ways (e.g. synergy, compe;;on) as labour and workplace
integra;on brokers.
While the postdoctoral researcher will develop their own original research project
within Subproject C, led by Prof. Dr. Jelena Tosic, it will be embedded in the pre-defined
research framework of the larger collabora;ve WEAVE-SNSF project. This requires ac;ve
collabora;on with the team and contribu;ons to the overarching research ques;ons and
objec;ves.

• The candidate holds a PhD in Social/Cultural anthropology, Ethnology, Sociology, or a
closely related field.
• They have demonstrated knowledge and experience in qualita;ve research and (mul;-
sited) ethnographic fieldwork, preferably (also) in the post-Yugoslav region.
• Prior engagement with topicsin the field of anthropology of migra;on – especially with
regard to labour and knowledge – is essen;al, while experience with medical
anthropology is considered an asset.
• To facilitate ethnographic fieldwork in the designated regions, proficiency in German
and English is required, as well as competence in a post-Yugoslav language. Knowledge
of Spanish is an advantage (basic knowledge is acceptable).
• The posi;on is open to candidates of all ci;zenships/na;onali;es.
• The posi;on requires residency in St.Gallen, Switzerland (apart from periods of
fieldwork and a short guest stay at the University of Vienna), where the Postdoc
researcher will ac;vely par;cipate in the work at the Department for Migra;on
Studies.

«A place where knowledge is created» - As one of Europe's leading universi;es of economics
and business administra;on, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is commiHed to
the educa;on of over 8500 students and is one of the largest employers in the region,
providing around 3100 employees with an aHrac;ve and innova;ve environment for research.