DECRIPT Programme // Postdoctoral Fellowship, Research Area 4: Civilisational Narratives and the Indo-Pacific

Background and objectives of the post   

Founded in 1795, Inalco offers a range of courses in over 100 languages and in the humanities and social sciences specialising in non-Western regions, which is recognised both in France and internationally. Supported by 14 research teams (8 joint research units and 6 in-house units), research at Inalco combines regional and global studies with various academic disciplines.

The DÉCRIPT (A Framework for the Study of Crises and Civilisational Narratives through Interdisciplinarity and Fieldwork), funded through the call for Expressions of Interest for ‘Research Programmes in the Humanities and Social Sciences’, under the France 2030 initiative, is based on an ambitious scientific programme in areal and global studies. Focusing on the analysis of the relationship between civilisational narratives, universalism and conflicting logics on a global scale and across four key regions (the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Ukraine and the former Soviet bloc, and the Near and Middle East), DÉCRIPT aims to develop original research, as well as research tools and mechanisms for transferring research findings to society and public policy. The programme approaches civilisational narratives as socially, strategically and ideologically constructed discourses, articulating specific interpretations of historical trajectories, cultural values and collective roles within the world order.

Led by INALCO, DÉCRIPT is based on a consortium of universities (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University of Paris Panthéon-Assas, University of Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL), Sorbonne Nouvelle University (USN), Paris 8 University, Bordeaux Montaigne University (UBM), University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Sciences Po Paris, Sciences Po Bordeaux, Sciences Po Lille), research organisations (CNRS, IRD), and leading institutions in the field of international relations and the transfer of research into public policy (AFD, IFRI). DÉCRIPT also draws on a network of over 50 stakeholders, including international partners selected to strengthen the programme’s scientific excellence, its regional focus, and its knowledge transfer mechanisms.

DÉCRIPT adopts an approach to the research profession that values diversity of skills and the development of professional networks. With this in mind, five postdoctoral researchers, integrated into DÉCRIPT’s permanent team, will contribute to the scientific coordination of the project, the organisation of seminars and the development of knowledge transfer initiatives for the research area for which they will be recruited. They will devote at least 25 per cent of their working time to collective tasks within the programme and in collaboration with its partners (for example, hosting international researchers; helping to organise cross-research-area events; contributing to a collective critical mapping exercise), and 75 per cent to conducting a research project related to the theme of their research area.

Recruited by Inalco as part of DÉCRIPT, working at one of the project’s dedicated sites (Paris, Bordeaux or Lille), postdoctoral researchers may be assigned to one of the following institutions: Inalco, Université Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sciences Po Paris, IRD.

They will be integrated into the permanent DÉCRIPT team and will contribute to the coordination and scientific leadership of their research strand, working closely with the team  (notably the scientific director, the executive director, the operational manager, the scientific mediator, and other postdocs) and with the researchers involved in the programme’s scientific coordination.

They will carry out their postdoctoral research project in consultation with their mentor at their host institution.

Research profile   

The Indo-Pacific research area (Area 4) analyses this region as a melting pot of worldviews and civilisational narratives that are both interconnected and competing.

It explores the range of civilisational narratives underpinning conflicting (geo)political agendas, some of which are presented as compatible with the contemporary world order whilst drawing on selectively (re)invented references (as illustrated by India’s incorporation of Hindu concepts into its foreign policy framework), whilst others underpin more differentialist perspectives (for example, China’s use of historical references to reshape the regional and global order, particularly within the framework of its ‘global civilisation initiative’).
The programme examines how these narratives legitimise the reformist claims of emerging states regarding global governance structures, their (geo)political objectives, and the political or economic models they promote. It also examines the manifestation of these narratives in texts—whether political, literary or personal—in legislation or regulatory frameworks governing social and/or international relations, in infrastructure, in works of art, or in cooperation mechanisms.

The postdoctoral researcher will develop a project aimed at connecting these global and regional issues to empirical research. Even if China is a "focus" of the Indo-Pacific WP, candidates who are specialists of other countries or regions will also be considered with interest, as well as research projects focusing on circulations and trans-regional connections.

Holders of a PhD in the humanities and social sciences – notably area studies, political science, public law, sociology, history, literature, anthropology, linguistics, economics, geography, information and communication sciences – the postdoctoral researcher will be able to ground their research topics in epistemological and methodological reflection that is in line with the context and scientific objectives of DÉCRIPT.
They will be able to utilize (or be trained in) a variety of methods, including, for example, discourse analysis, lexicometry, multiple correspondence analysis, concept genealogy, ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and OSINT.In this regard, he or she will actively participate in the activities of WP2 of Axis 2, which focuses in particular on research instruments.

Open to collaborative research and multidisciplinary approaches, he or she will be able to link empirical research, epistemological questions and methodological innovations.
Through their initiative, they will contribute fully to the roll-out of DÉCRIPT, the implementation of its scientific programme and the visibility of the Indo-Pacific research area.

Responsibilities and activities    

The postdoctoral researcher will have three main responsibilities:
1.    Support the DECRYPT program (minimum 25% of working time), specifically by:

• Participating in team meetings for program planning, implementation, and monitoring;
• Assisting with the planning and organization of scientific and knowledge-transfer activities for the Indo-Pacific component of WP4 (open seminars, researcher-practitioner meetings, publications, and program-related scientific events);
• Contributing to the planning and production of briefs, podcasts, and other knowledge-transfer outputs aimed at society and public policy for the Indo-Pacific component of WP4;
• Contributing to a collaborative effort to critically map civilizational narratives and their circulation.

2.    To carry out a personal research project contributing to the achievement of the scientific objectives of the Indo-Pacific research area, by developing one of the research themes mentioned in the description of the area, in particular through the publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals.

3.    Contribute to the development of cross-disciplinary thinking on the evolution of methods and tools for research in areal and global studies, in close collaboration with the programme team and the four other postdoctoral researchers. This aspect will involve, in particular, participation in seminars and training modules developed as part of the research area dedicated to research tools and training.

Required skills   

• Requirements: PhD in the Social Sciences and Humanities
• Skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Ability and willingness to work in a multidisciplinary environment
• Excellent writing skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Scientific rigour, curiosity and strong motivation
• Excellent command of English and at least one language of the Indo-Pacific region to access primary sources relevant to the project; non-French-speaking candidates will be able to benefit from French as a foreign language training provided at INALCO.

HR information    

• Gross salary: €2,650
• Working hours : full-time (35 hours per week)
• Remote working: up to 2 days of remote working per week, or on an ad hoc basis, depending on operational requirements, with no seniority requirement;
• Location : Maison des sciences de l’homme, 54 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris.
• Desired start date: 1 November 2026

Applications must be completed and submitted by 20 August 2026 at 18:00 (GMT+1).&
They consist of two parts:
1.    An administrative application form, to be completed at the following address: https://www.inalco.fr/form/decript-postdoctorat   

2.    An application pack, to be sent to View e-mail (with a copy to View e-mail ), comprising the following documents:
-    A cover letter including a description of the personal research project envisaged as part of the postdoctoral fellowship (maximum five pages, outlining the research question, methods and main objectives of the postdoctoral project, as well as the sources and data to be collected and utilised). The letter should specify whether the candidate wishes to be assigned, as a priority, to an institution within the consortium and/or to a research unit amongst the consortium’s member institutions or research organisations, or whether they leave this assignment to the discretion of the project steering committee, based on their research topic and the programme’s priorities.

-    Copy of the PhD degree certificate or proof of successful completion;
-    Full CV and list of publications;
-    Thesis defence report;
-    Letter of recommendation;
-    Optional: a letter of support from a prospective postdoctoral mentor at one of the consortium’s member institutions or research organisations.

Candidates currently in their final year of doctoral study may apply, provided they intend to take up the post no later than 1 November 2026. They must ensure that they include in their application a certificate confirming the date of their thesis defence, signed by their doctoral school.

Applications must be completed and submitted by 20 August 2026 at 18:00 (GMT+1) to the following addresses: View e-mail , with a copy to View e-mail 

Provisional timetable

• Application deadline: 20 August 2026
• Announcement of shortlisted candidates: 1 September 2026
• Auditions (via videoconference or in person): from 10 September 2026
• Announcement of results: from 20 September 2026
• Enrolment and signing of the contract: from 1 November 2026