Post-doctoral and Doctoral Research Fellowships at the Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity
The Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research.
The Max Planck Research Group, “Empires of Memory: The Cultural Politics of Historicity in Former Habsburg and Ottoman Cities,” based at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen, Germany, seeks to appoint a postdoctoral research fellow with an outstanding academic record for a position to begin in late summer or early autumn 2019. Under the supervision of group leader Dr. Jeremy F. Walton, the fellow will develop a focused research project pertaining to our broad fields of inquiry while also collaborating vigorously with other members of the research group.
The overarching objective of “Empires of Memory” is to examine the forms, textures, and effects of imperial legacies in relation to contemporary urban culture and politics in eight cities: Vienna, Istanbul, Budapest, Sarajevo, Trieste, Thessaloniki, Zagreb and Belgrade. Fellows will be expected to pursue their individual projects in light of the following set of broad research questions:
- In what forums, genres, and media—narrative, visual, architectural, scholarly, etc.—are imperial pasts articulated and elaborated?
- What forms of erasure, erosion, and amnesia accompany contemporary images of these pasts?
- How do post-imperial memories, both positive and negative, underwrite contemporary projects of urban preservation and transformation?
- In what ways and contexts do imperial pasts link up with national and EU-wide political debates and projects?
- What frictions do imperial pasts provoke in contemporary urban life?
- Finally, how do memories of empire inform the politics of nationalism and the nation-state in these various cities?
We welcome applicants from a plethora of fields in the social sciences and humanities, including Anthropology, History, Sociology, Geography, Urban Studies, Art History, Architectural History, Comparative Literature, Gender Studies and Queer Studies and we especially encourage applications from scholars with linguistic expertise pertinent to one or more of our eight sites.
We also welcome applications from scholars who work from a decolonial/post-colonial perspective.
On this occasion, we seek applicants whose research foci include Istanbul, Budapest, Thessaloniki and/or Sarajevo.
Awards will be made on the basis of scholarly excellence and research promise.
The postdoctoral fellow will be appointed for an initial period of two years. Compensation will be based on the German public service scale TVöD, level E 13. The envisaged starting date is approximately 1 September 2019.
The Institute operates in English and is located in the scenic university town of Göttingen. All research fellows in residence are expected to devote the majority of their time to their individual research projects, take leadership in organizing conferences and other academic events, publish their work in leading academic venues, and participate fully in the intellectual life of the Institute.
Applications should include a cover letter, CV, writing sample, a brief statement of proposed research (approximately 1000 words), and the names and contact details of two academic referees. Applicants should also send a record of university diplomas and transcripts. Interviews for positions will occur in April or May 2019.
The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the participation of women wherever they are under represented; therefore, applications from women are particularly welcome. Following its commitment to an equal opportunities employment policy, the Max Planck Society also especially encourages persons with a disability to submit their applications.
