CfA: PhD Student in the philosophy of mathematics and/or linguistics, France, deadline: 21 June 2024

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CfA: PhD Student in the philosophy of mathematics and/or linguistics, France, deadline: 21 June 2024

Call for applications: PhD Student in the philosophy of mathematics and/or linguistics

We are soliciting applications for a 3 year PhD scholarship (contrat doctoral) in the philosophy of mathematics and/or linguistics to work on the ANR-funded Mathematical Hygiene (MATHY) project.

The MATHY project

The goal of the MATHY project is to develop a new area of study at the intersection of linguistics and the philosophy of mathematics : (what we call) mathematical hygiene. The term is based on the expression verbal hygiene, developed by the linguist Deborah Cameron (1995), to refer to the set of normative ideas that language users have about which linguistic practices should be preferred. In a parallel manner, we define mathematical hygiene as "the set of normative discourses regulating mathematical practices" (Arana & Burnett, 2023). The project has three main goals : 1) to document mathematical hygiene phenomena, with a particular focus on the history of mathematics; 2) to compare mathematical hygiene and verbal hygiene phenomena synchronically and diachronically; 3) to develop a new understanding of how verbal and mathematical hygiene phenomena arise using insights from the psychology of reasoning. We believe that studying normative discourses on mathematics in the way that sociolinguists study normative discourses on language will open the door to a better understanding of the diachronic and synchronic relationships between language and mathematics.

PhD Topic

The PhD student will be working under the joint supervision of Prof. Andrew Arana (U. Lorraine) and Dr. Heather Burnett (CNRS - Université Paris Cité) on Axe 1, Work package 2: Mathematical and verbal hygiene in the 20th century. The goal of this work package is to carry out a historical comparison of mathematical and verbal hygiene in the 20th century, focusing on the impact of nationalism during this period on mathematics and grammar. We have no a priori geographical preference, but some suggestions of possible topics include:

* “Deutsche Mathematik” (Segal, Mathematicians under the Nazis, 2003), as well as to verbal hygiene under the German Third Reich (Hutton, Linguistics and the Third Reich, 2012),
* French mathematics and language policy during the Vichy period and its immediate aftermath (eg. Gaston Julia, Bourbaki and their relation, and/or policies governing the use of regional languages in France).
* Italian mathematics and language policy in the 19th century (Mazzotti, Reactionary Mathematics, 2023) or during the Fascist period and its immediate aftermath.

Among many others…

Starting date and salary:

The starting date of the position is flexible: between September 2024 and January 2025. Gross remuneration will be about 2100 € per month.

Research environment:

The Archives Poincaré are one of the world’s leading centers for the history and philosophy of science. It takes its name from being the home of Henri’s Poincaré’s archives, including his vast correspondence. The presence of this archive, as well as numerous other archives (notably that of the mathematical collective Bourbaki), anchors the research carried out at the AHP, indicating the importance of historical studies in the general orientation of researchers housed here. The work done at the AHP extends beyond archival studies. The AHP is, for instance, the research wing of the department of philosophy at the Université de Lorraine. It also houses researchers who teach in mathematics, engineering, and economics departments at the Universités of Lorraine and Strasbourg.

There are no teaching requirements in this position. However, regular participation in collective scientific activities (e.g., seminars) will be expected. Knowledge of French is an asset but not required. At the Archives Poincaré, the PhD student will benefit from all ordinary facilities (work space, access to library and electronic resources, and to all research activities).

Application details:

Prospective applicants should send:

- A curriculum vitae including publications

- a brief statement of research interests including a description of the research project to be undertaken during the contract (up to 5 pages)

Application deadline: June 21st, 2024

To apply, visit the page:

Portail Emploi CNRS - Offre d'emploi - Contrat doctoral en philosophie des mathématiques et/ou linguistique H/F<https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR7117-ANDARA0-003/Default.aspx>

Project web site: mathy.univ-lorraine.fr<http://mathy.univ-lorraine.fr/> (soon)

For additional information, please contact Andrew Arana (andrew.arana@univ-lorraine.fr<mailto:andrew.arana@univ-lorraine.fr>) and Heather Burnett (heather.burnett@u-paris.fr<mailto:heather.burnett@u-paris.fr>)

Best wishes,

Andrew Arana
Professeur des universités
Département de philosophie, Université de Lorraine
Directeur, Archives Henri-Poincaré (CNRS UMR 7117), Université de Lorraine et Université de Strasbourg

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