The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology at Halle a/d Saale seeks to appoint

3 Postdoctoral Researchers for the new Department of Law & Anthropology.

Background:

The Department of Law & Anthropology was established in March 2012. Among the principal developments that prompted the establishment of a department with a focus on law is the observation that in the contemporary era, values and norms are circulating ever more intensely between various societies and cultures. The Department aims to offer a prominent forum where both anthropologists and lawyers will be involved in the study of the impact and the effects of this intensification. With this intensification of exchanges and encounters comes an increasing demand for translation between different normative orders and systems of morality at various levels of decision-making and all over the world. From the outset, the new department will prioritize a number of key issues that address this demand with a view to providing valuable insights into the directions that legal anthropology could take in light of this demand for translation.

Main research fields:

During the first years, the purpose is to support empirically informed research on (and analysis of) legal practice and intricate socio-cultural processes in the contemporary era. This involves the in situ study of the transformation(s) of concepts, procedures, institutions, practices, etc. that occur within and across normative legal orders. Of particular interest here are, but not exclusively: (1) the (increasing) interconnectedness of law and religion; (2) contending notions of justice in the face of cultural diversity in various settings; and more broadly defined, (3) the ethnographic study of (the workings) of institutions of social regulation (inter alia in the field of migration; kinship, family and household; neighborhoods; identity issues; property claims and their protection), etc.

Comparison and impacts on practice seen as part of the research method:

The research policy at the Department is that each study or project which it will support also gives due attention – wherever possible and relevant – to issues of applied legal anthropology and to the conditions of production of valid comparative knowledge. The application of anthropological insights and questions of comparison/comparability of data (and their interpretation) can be considered as two tasks that are integrally part of the research method in legal anthropology. They confront researchers not only with serious epistemological and conceptual challenges, but also with the question of the extent to which they can/should take responsibility for the impact and the effects their expertise may have in practice.

Three main requirements:

The first requirement is an excellent PhD (or doctoral degree) in law, in social or cultural anthropology, or in any other related/ relevant discipline in the human sciences; in any case, the candidate should submit evidence indicating serious interest in legal anthropology; the second requirement is expertise in empirical field research (this can include relevant legal practice); the third requirement is a solid publication record with articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

General requirements:

- A good command of written and spoken English is required.
- Acquisition of the German language is encouraged, especially if there is relevant literature in German.

The workplace is Halle a/d Saale (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany). Applicants are expected to work in interdisciplinary collaboration with the other colleagues at the Department, and should therefore have an intrinsic interest in interdisciplinary as well as team work. They will also be expected to contribute as much as they can – whenever it would appear relevant – to the other research projects in which the Department will be engaging in the coming years, so as to ensure cross-fertilization within the Department.

The positions are formally awarded for two years initially, and are open to an extension of one year after positive evaluation. It can thus be anticipated that the appointments will cover a period of three years in total.

Salary category 13 TVöD, 100% or Post-Doc Scholarship (between 2100 and 2300 EUR).

Applications:

The Max Planck Society is committed to raising the proportion of women in science; we thus explicitly encourage applications by female researchers. Individuals with disabilities will be given priority, assuming equal qualifications.

Applicants are asked to submit the following materials:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitae, including the full list of publications
- Writing sample (chapter or article length)
- 1-2 page summary of the PhD work
- A detailed proposal (max. length 5 pages) for the applicant’s project, explaining how s/he plans to contribute to the research to be set up at the Department in the coming years. This should include an indication of how the research will be disseminated (publications envisaged, etc.) and offer all guarantees that the project can be completed within the scheduled two/three years. More than one topic may be proposed, at the discretion of the applicant. Applicants’ dossiers will of course have to demonstrate that they have the background and experience necessary to successfully complete the proposed project(s). The project descriptions will form a basis for discussion if the applicant is short-listed for an interview. Applicants should be prepared to modify their proposal, if necessary, to optimize the internal coherence of the research projects in which the Department will engage.
- Photocopies of university degrees
- Names of three referees

Please send applications to the following address by August 15, 2012:

Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Personnel Administration
P. O. Box 11 03 51
D – 06017 Halle/Saale
Germany
or email to: jdiallo@eth.mpg.de

For further information please contact Marie-Claire Foblets,
Director, Department of Law & Anthropology,
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
at: foblets@eth.mpg.de
www.eth.mpg.de