Job: Postdoctoral Researcher, Russia Medialab (Aleksanteri Institute)

The Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki invites applications for an enthusiastic and creative postdoctoral researcher to work on the project “Russia MediaLab: Freedom of Speech and Critical Journalism in Russia.” The offer is for a fixed term from September 3, 2018 to June 2019, including a trial period of six months.

If measured according to conventional parameters, freedom of speech and expression in Russia have deteriorated. However, such developments are not uncontested and without contradictions. Instead, actions and measures taken can prove inefficient or have unintended outcomes, which can be either negative or positive in terms of freedom of speech. Likewise, freedom of speech can also unintentionally shrink due to reasons such as a strained economic situation or increasing commercialization. To formulate a fuller picture of freedom of speech in Russia today, it is therefore not enough to study measures of control and questions of implementation, but also to adopt the opposite perspective – that is, to study freedom of speech and expression from the perspective of areas of relative freedom. For more on the project, see: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/russianmedialab.

A multidisciplinary approach is desirable. Potential candidates can approach the subject matter from several different perspectives, including:

  • Media regulation and self-regulation
  • Legislation and media
  • Media culture and -politics
  • Russia’s political culture and media
  • Media economy
  • Cultural institutions

For more information on the position or to apply, visit: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-researcher-russia-medialab

Application deadline: June 18, 2018