This research project aims to strengthen the emancipatory potential of interreligious dialogical learning (ILD) within worldview education by shifting the focus from individual attitudes and harmony toward a critical pedagogical approach. This critical lens emphasizes the power dynamics, hegemonies, and privileges that are present within ILD.

The project begins with the development of a theoretical framework that connects research on ILD with critical theories on religion, race, and secularism, as well as insights from critical pedagogy. Building on these insights, the project includes empirical fieldwork in worldview education classrooms in Flanders, where ILD has recently become a mandatory part of the curriculum and where teachers face significant challenges in its implementation.

In line with a critical approach to education, this project goes beyond analysis alone. It aims to develop, test, and implement pedagogical alternatives for critical ILD. To this end, close collaboration will take place with the societal partner Axcent vzw. By bridging theoretical insights and educational practice, this research project seeks to make visible, understand, and address structural inequalities within ILD. Ultimately, the project aims to strengthen the emancipatory potential of ILD in Flemish classrooms and beyond. 

Tasks:

• You will pursue a PhD and conduct scientific research within the framework of the described project, and you complete the doctoral program. 
• To this end, you will prepare and carry out design-based research on critical dialogical learning in worldview education. You will design, test, and iteratively refine pedagogical interventions in collaboration with teachers and Axcent vzw. You will collect data using qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and (participant) observations. You will analyze your empirical data with particular attention to power, hegemony, privilege, and mechanisms of exclusion within educational practices. You will translate theoretical insights from critical pedagogy and critical approaches to religion, race, and secularism into concrete pedagogical applications. 
• You will present your research results at (inter)national conferences and in societal contexts. 
• You will take on a limited set of supporting tasks in the areas of research, teaching, and/or administration within the Research Unit and the Faculty, within the regulatory limits.
  

• You hold (at the start of the project) a master’s degree in religious studies, theology, educational sciences, pedagogical sciences, or a related discipline. 
• You have demonstrable experience with qualitative empirical research, preferably also with design-based research or practice-oriented research. 
• You have an excellent command of Dutch (required for fieldwork) and an excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written. 
• You have a substantive interest in critical pedagogy and/or critical approaches to religion, race, gender, and secularism, and you possess (inter)worldview sensitivity. 
• You have knowledge of or a clear affinity with the Flemish educational context, in particular Catholic Education and Community Education in Flanders. 
• You have strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills and are motivated to bridge theoretical research and educational practice. 
• Experience with curriculum development or the design of pedagogical materials is an asset. You meet the requirements for admission to the doctoral program in Theology or Religious Studies at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. You are able to successfully complete a PhD project under supervision.

Within a stimulating and socially relevant research environment, we offer a full-time doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for a total maximum period of four years. The salary is in accordance with the KU Leuven scales for doctoral researchers, and a budget is provided for participation in conferences. In addition, there are extensive opportunities for training, professional development, and international networking. You will work in a research context where critical reflection, collegiality, societal engagement, and academic excellence are central, and you will be part of a collegial and interdisciplinary research group. The project is carried out in collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and leads to a joint doctoral trajectory with a double PhD degree.

We kindly invite you to submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter (maximum two pages) and a curriculum vitae.

For additional information about the project, including the state-of-the-art document, you may contact Prof. Dr. Marianne Moyaert at marianne.moyaert@kuleuven.be.