The call for applications for the 42nd cycle of the PhD programme in Cultural and Social Anthropology at the University of Milan-Bicocca (DACS) is now open
DACS is offering 6 doctoral positions, including 4 scholarships, 1 project-based scholarship (open exclusively to graduates residing abroad on the date of the call’s publication) and 1 place without a scholarship.
Full details of the places available and the application procedure can be found at the following link (Call for Applications, Application Forms, Project Description): https://en.unimib.it/study/doctoral-research-phd-programmes/applying-doctorate/calls-application
The deadline for applications is 17 April. Please note that no further places will be advertised in the second session!
Please make sure to carefully read the application page avialable under this link: https://en.unimib.it/study/doctoral-research-phd-programmes/applying-doctorate/calls-application The information on that page is binding.
Cultural and Social Anthropology (Cod. 119R)
Department: “Riccardo Massa” Human Sciences for Education Department
Coordinator: Prof. Alice Bellagamba
Length of program: 3 years
Research topics: We welcome innovative proposals in all fields of cultural and social anthropology. We
are interested in researches that expand the anthropological and ethnographic knowledge of Africa, Northern and Southern America, Central Asia, China, Europe, India, the Middle East, Oceania, South-East Asia in addition to Italy and the Mediterranean basin.
6 available positions, of which:
- 4 positions are University scholarships
- 1 scholarships is reserved to foreign applicants residing abroad (the position is linked to the research project: “Energizing the Social: Power, Infrastructure, and Everyday Life in the Global South”, see below)
- 1 position is without scholarship
Assessment of qualifications and publications
- Assessment of the research project
- Oral examination (videoconference)
- Assessment of qualifications:
1) Grade of bachelor degree: max 3 points
2) Grade of master degree (second cycle): max 7 points
2bis) Grade of old system degree or single-cycle second level degree: max 10 points
3) Publications in extenso (already published or accepted by the publishers) and conference papers, of the last two years: max 4 points
4) Participations in post-degree masters, training courses, advanced courses, specialization schools, any other second degrees: max 2 points
5) Certification of joint researches and analysis: max 2 points
6) Certification of training periods and/or research periods abroad of at least
two months: max 2 points
The Committee will evaluate periods less than 2 months only if the early
come back has been due to documented force majeure for COVID-19.
For those students who have not obtained their degree yet, the score of points 2 or
2bis will be replaced with the assessment of the average mark of the examinations: - Students of Master grade (second cycle): max 7 points
- Students of old system degree or single-cycle second level degree: max 10
points
To access the assessment of the research project no minimum score in the assessment of qualifications is requested.
Research project
During the application process, in addition to their qualifications, candidates must also upload a research project (max. 6 pages, line spacing 1, bibliography included) formulated according to the following structure:
- Summary;
- General objectives and innovative character of the research topic compared with the
state of the art; - Work plan over three years;
- Feasibility of the project in terms of prior knowledge (linguistic, ethnographic,
bibliographic), institutional contacts, relationships that can facilitate the research; - Bibliography.
Information about examinations
Oral examination: During the oral examination, the research project uploaded by the candidate will be discussed. The examination will consist of an oral interview in Italian or English, at the candidate’s choice. For candidates taking the examination in Italian, their knowledge of English will be tested during the oral examination. Candidates are expected to demonstrate methodological accuracy, clear presentation, the ability to present arguments, critical evaluation and an in-depth analysis of issues.
Results of the assessment of qualifications and research project
The results of the assessment of qualifications and research project, together with a breakdown of candidates in the examination days, that has notification value for all legal purpose, will be published on May 11 th 2026 on the University website at the following link:
https://www.unimib.it/studiare/dottorato-ricerca/accedere-al-dottorato/informazioniconcorsi
Oral examinations dates
Oral examinations will be held on May 20th 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
In the event that the number of candidates to be examined is high, the committee
reserves the right to hold the oral examinations also on May 21st 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
Rankings
Only candidates with a total final score of at least 50/100 (given by the sum of the
assessment of qualifications, research project and oral examination) will be eligible
for the rankings.
Rankings will be published at the following link: https://www.unimib.it/studiare/dottorato-ricerca/accedere-al-dottorato/graduatorierankings
Contact for academic information: https://en.unimib.it/study/doctoral-research-phd-programmes/phdprogrammes/cultural-and-social-anthropology
Research project: Energizing the Social: Power, Infrastructure, and Everyday Life in the Global South
Please note that this scholarship is reserved for foreign students.
Tutor: Prof. Alice Bellagamba
Abroad period: to be defined
Specific rules: no specific rules
Abstract (ENG):
In many regions of the Global South, electricity is not merely a background utility but a volatile and highly visible force that shapes the rhythms of daily life, political belonging, and economic aspirations. Moving beyond purely techno-economic perspectives, we invite doctoral projects that investigate electricity as a socio-technical system deeply embedded in cultural practices, political ideologies, and local cosmologies. The objective is to understand how electricity fuels expectations of the future and shapes evolving ideas of development and modernity. We are interested in how electricity is “made”—through large-scale state infrastructures, small-scale development projects, NGO interventions, and grassroots community initiatives—as much as how it is “used” and “imagined” through local ethics and belief systems. Possible research paths are:
- the Aesthetics and Politics of Infrastructure (how the presence—or persistent absence—of power reorganizes social time, gender roles, and the materialities of home and work);
- Energy Justice and Transition (the socio-cultural and political consequences of “Pro-Poor” renewable energy and the localized practices associated with the “green transition”);
- The Experience of Precarity (the lived experience of “waiting for light” and the ways in which intermittent access creates new inequalities while reinforcing existing social hierarchies);
- Electrical Cosmologies and Folklore (how electricity intersects with local beliefs, ritual practices, and everyday myths).
By decentering Eurocentric narratives of “seamless” infrastructure, successful projects will contribute to a
deeper understanding of how the Global South is navigating the tensions between planetary
environmental crises and the local desire for modern “energy citizenship”.
Please make sure to carefully read the instructions enlosed on the application page to make sure you have covered all the requirements: https://en.unimib.it/study/doctoral-research-phd-programmes/applying-doctorate/calls-application