Chercheur/chercheuse contractuel/le pour le projet ERC « AnceStra »

Disciplines: Sociology, anthropology
Country of focus: France
Level of recruitment: Category A
48-month full-time fixed-term contract
Level of remuneration: 2626,50  € to 3047.35  € monthly gross salary according to professional experience
Work location: Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Politique” (LAP, UMR 8177), 54 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris
Estimated contract start date: 1 January 2026

Working environment and context

The École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, www.ehess.fr) is a graduate-only research institution that has a unique standing in the world of research and higher education in France. It hosts scholars from all over the world committed to the study of contemporary societies seen within broad cultural and historical contexts. It trains students up to PhD level in all disciplines of the social and human sciences. Currently, 1500 master and 1500 PhD students are enrolled in the institution. The EHESS is also home to 40 research units organized around a particular field, approach or, for a third of them, “cultural area”. Within these units, more than 500 researchers develop knowledge and train and supervise master's and PhD students.

The EHESS is one of the founding members of the public establishment “Campus Condorcet” which supports research programs of the Condorcet-members and provides their staff and students working conditions that meet international standards.

The contract researcher will be integrated into the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Politique, a center for the production, expression, dissemination and articulation of anthropological and critical approaches and readings of contemporary societies.

Presentation of the project

Through a sociological approach, AnceStra explores the meanings individuals and groups concerned by processes of repatriation of ancestral remains in postcolonial contexts attribute to the concerned human remains. The project departs from demands of restitution concerning a specific collection: the ancestral remains from former German colonies in Africa which today are housed at the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Strasbourg. The concerned ancestral remains entered the institute between 1892 and 1911, during the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, when the University of Strasbourg had become German. A ground-breaking, two-way South-North/North-South, South-South and North-North socio-anthropological study in France, Namibia, Tanzania, and to a lesser extent in Cameroon, Germany and Togo will be conducted by an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers.

Main tasks

• Bibliographical research on the relevant theoretical fields of the project
• Bibliographical research on research contexts of the study
• Participation in the study: conduct of biographical interviews, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations, focus group interviews, mainly in France, but also in the other countries mentioned in the presentation of the project
• Organization of monthly seminars of collaborative analysis
• Organization of conferences in the countries concerned by the project
• Participation in research seminars
• Publications
• Organization of work meetings

Specific working conditions

Frequent travel in France, but also in the countries concerned by the project.

The contract researcher will work in a team made up of 2 contract researchers and a PhD student. The person recruited here will be mainly responsible for the fieldwork in France. The other two team members will be responsible for the fieldwork in Namibia and Tanzania. The team members will also carry out fieldwork in tandems in the various countries involved in the project.

Required skills

• Experience in conducting qualitative research, especially based on biographical interviews and ethnographic observations
• Knowledge of scientific work and debates on restitutions in postcolonial contexts
• Ability to work autonomously and to take initiative
• Ability to work in international and multidisciplinary teams
• Fluent language skills in French and English (spoken and written), and if possible, in German and/or in African languages spoken in Namibia, Tanzania, Cameroon and Togo

Profile

• PhD in social sciences, preferably in sociology or anthropology

How to apply

Applications must include the following documents, written in English or French:

• Academic CV (including the list of publications), maximum 10 pages
• Letter of motivation, maximum 2 pages
• Copy of the PhD diploma or certificate of the PhD defense 

Applicants selected for an interview will be notified no later than 12 September 2025. Candidates whose applications have been shortlisted will be invited to an interview that will take place by videoconference or in person between 1 and 3 October 2025.

For any information concerning the project and the scientific expectations of the position, please contact the responsible of the project Dr. Elise Pape: elise.pape@ehess.fr