Position
A postdoc position exploring the international aspects of China’s agri-food complex relating to meat and dairy is available at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture. The two-year position is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) project ‘A Middle Way? Probing Sufficiency through Meat and Milk in China’ (MidWay).
Description
The MidWay project addresses sustainability challenges relating to food and agriculture in China, with the consumption and production of meat and milk as empirical cases. Rather than arguing for increased efficiency, the project studies the concept of sufficiency to probe its potential for reducing humankind’s impacts on Earth’s biosphere, while maintaining overall welfare. In essence, it seeks to explore the potential for defining a ‘middle way’ between excess and deficiency. China is considered a strategic research site for investigating the dynamics of supply and demand regarding animal-based foods, particularly in understanding the factors that have led to the embeddedness of meat and milk in Chinese foodways.
The postdoc will have an important role in the project, helping with conceptual development and comparing and synthesising elements of meat and milk practices with a focus on international connections. In particular, the work will explore the various ways in which global systems of provision (i.e., the industrial grain-oilseed-livestock complex), and trends impact meat and milk production and consumption in China. For instance, the presence of fridge freezers might open Chinese households up to imported foods through a global ‘cold chain’. This will be addressed through a review of academic literature and expert interviews. The review and interviews look particularly at international feed and food supply chains as well as the ways in which systems of provision are influenced by trends around animal and plant-based diets in other Asian countries and internationally.
The postdoc position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The successful candidate is expected to be based in Trondheim during the employment period, starting on September 1, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. The appointment is for two years.
Your immediate leader is the Head of the Department.
