PhD Position in Everyday Self-Provisioning Practices and Degrowth Futures

This fully funded 4-year PhD position at Tallinn University of Technology investigates the transformative potential of alternative self-provision practices, including food cultivation, sharing, repair, and DIY initiatives. Hosted within the School of Business and Governance, the successful candidate will employ mixed-method qualitative approaches to map quiet sustainability niches, conduct case studies with practitioners, and evaluate pathways toward economic transformation. The researcher will work independently under the supervision of Assistant Professor Bianka Plüschke-Altof while contributing to teaching and departmental activities. Applicants are expected to prepare a comprehensive 5-page research plan outlining their methodology and theoretical framework.

• Map existing mundane self-provisioning practices and prior research across Estonia, such as foraging, dacha gardening, informal networks, and repair initiatives.
• Conduct multiple qualitative case studies with self-provision practitioners to examine their networks, motivations, and relationships with conventional markets.
• Engage with practitioners and system stakeholders to explore potential pathways from prefigurative practices to broader system change.
• Analyze research findings from a system transformation and degrowth perspective to draft a doctoral thesis.
• Contribute to small-scale teaching, participate in department academic life, and assist with topic-related project proposals.