The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) “Global Multiplicity: A Social Anthropology for the Now”, a cooperation between the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Leipzig University, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, is offering 2 positions as:
Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d)
Salary group
Term
Volume
Start date
Supervision for these two positions will be guaranteed by Leipzig-based IMPRS members.
Founded in 1409, Leipzig University is one of Germany’s largest universities and a leader in research and medical training. With around 30,000 students and more than 5000 members of staff across 14 faculties, it is at the heart of the vibrant and outward-looking city of Leipzig. Leipzig University offers an innovative and international working environment as well as an exciting range of career opportunities in research, teaching, knowledge and technology transfer, infrastructure and administration.
Engaging with multiplicity is essential for understanding 21st-century social worlds, which are invariably constituted through the interaction of multiple social realities, lifeworlds, world views, approaches to future-making, and forms of knowledge (making). All the major problems that the world faces today have multiple dimensions, intersect with other problems, and have to be addressed through multifaceted measures, thus necessitating the development of appropriate conceptual tools. The IMPRS “Global Multiplicity: A Social Anthropology for the Now” is in close connection with the Graduate School Global and Area Studies at Leipzig University and will train the next generation of researchers to deal with such multiplicity. By bringing together scholars working in anthropology, or with anthropological methods and approaches, the IMPRS will provide much-needed synergy in the study of key contemporary challenges, including climate change, the digital revolution, the crises of modernities, and questions of justice and equality. Doctoral positions will be based at Leipzig University.
For more on the IMPRS click here.
WHAT WE OFFER
- we offer ideal conditions for doctoral researcher supervision and training with experienced professors
- prolonged periods of ethnographic fieldwork and/or archival research are expected and will be supported by adequate funds
- a modern workplace and attractive working conditions (mobile working)
- flexible working hours and work-life balance
- goal-oriented staff development throughout your working life, with opportunities for continuing professional development
- pension plan
- reduced commuter pass for the local network or the Deutschlandticket as a Job Ticket
DUTIES
- research on a dissertation project on a topic related to new global dynamics with an ethnographic focus that relates to the IMPRS research foci “political potentials” or “economic re-ordering”
- the participation in the curriculum and fulfilment of the program of the IMPRS “Global Multiplicity: A Social Anthropology for the Now”
- integration in the research life of the Leipzig University Research Centre Global Dynamics and enrolment as a doctoral student at the faculty of the supervisor at Leipzig University
We are interested in projects on new global dynamics with an ethnographic focus that relates to the IMPRS research foci “political potentials” or “economic re-ordering.” Applications that address global multiplicity in the fields of infrastructure, urban space, mobilities, belonging, religion, (alternatives to) extractivism, post- and de-colonialism, and human and more-than-human entanglements are especially welcome.
REQUIREMENTS
- Master’s or equivalent degree in a project-related field (social anthropology or a closely related discipline)
- a genuine interest in empirical research that draws on the theories and methods of social anthropology
- you are proficient in English and speak, or are willing to learn, the languages required for your research project
- motivation to be a proactive team player in an international and interdisciplinary research consortium
Please submit your application via e-mail as a single PDF file quoting the reference number 188/2024 to: Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell, Leipzig Research Centre Global Dynamics, by October 1st, 2024.
- signed cover letter explaining your interest in and suitability for the IMPRS
- if you have no prior training in anthropology, please submit an additional statement (max. 500 words) addressing your interest in the research school
- Curriculum vitae including a list of publications
- three-page proposal for a dissertation project, including details about the state of preparation, methodology, and a possible timeline
- writing sample (publication or chapter from your MA thesis)
- copies of all relevant degree certificates and academic transcripts from both the bachelor’s and master’s level
- names and contact details of two referees
- Please note that it is not possible to guarantee confidentiality and rule out unauthorised access by third parties when communicating by unencrypted email.
Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.
For any questions regarding IMPRS and the positions, please contact Patrick Desplat (desplat@eth.mpg.de) or Megan Maruschke (megan.maruschke@uni-leipzig.de). If you have further questions regarding the application procedure, please contact: Martina Keilbach (Coordinator Graduate School Global and Area Studies at Leipzig University, email: keilbach@uni-leipzig.de).
Research, teaching, transfer, infrastructure and administration require a diversity of perspectives. The university is therefore committed to diversity and equal opportunities. We welcome your application, regardless of gender, nationality, religion, cultural and social background, age or sexual orientation. The university aims to increase the proportion of women in positions of responsibility and therefore expressly asks qualified women to apply.
If equally qualified, preference will be given to people with severe disabilities or those with equivalent status according to SGB IX. If you have any questions regarding accessibility or need support during this application process, please contact the Representative Body for Severely Disabled Persons at Leipzig University at schwerbehindertenvertretung@uni-leipzig.de.