PhD position on labor immigration in research project (80 %)
Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, Chair in Social Science of Japan, University of Zurich
Start date:October 1, 2025 (or upon agreement)
Application deadline: May 10, 2025
The Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies at the University of Zurich (UZH) is the largest center of research and teaching on Asia in Switzerland with about 100 employees. Its Chair in Social Science of Japan (lead by Prof David Chiavacci) invites applicants for a PhD position in the project “Agenda Setting and Framing of Immigration in Japan, 1975-2025”, financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
Your responsibilities
We seek a PhD candidate with a strong interest in media and political representation of labor immigration in Japan and in frame analysis. The research project will study the agenda setting and immigration framing in public and political debate in Japan from 1975 to 2025 and its consequences on immigration policy. The aim of the project is to clarify the shifts between different frames of immigration (for example, portrayal of labor immigration in the context of national identity, international reputation, public security, economic growth etc.) over five decades, the interrelation between media framing and political framing (in policy proposals, diet debates etc.) and the influence of their interaction on agenda-setting processes as well as immigration policymaking by blocking or enabling immigration reforms.
The PhD position includes the following responsibilities:
- Collaborating in the development and implementation of the research project with the other team members (Prof. David Chiavacci and Prof. Tobias Weiss [Sophia University, Tokyo])
- Developing and realizing a PhD project on agenda setting and framing of labor immigration in Japan based on your own research interests within the joint project