We welcome applications from highly qualified graduates from the fields of
- Central Asian studies
- Iranian studies
- East Asian Art and Archaeology
- Near Eastern Archaeology
- Prehistoric Archaeology.
Candidates must hold an outstanding Master's degree (MA, MSt, or MSc) in one of the aforementioned subjects or be very close to completion. Doctoral students are expected to participate in Digital Humanities training offered as part of BerGSAS curriculum.
Doctoral program
The program covers Asia since prehistoric times and Central Asia essentially in the period from the begin of the historical era (texts or some historical/archaeological sources) until the arrival of Islam in the region (e.g., 10th c. in Kashgar, ca. 14th c. in Turfan). It concentrates on the range of attested languages and literatures of Buddhist, Manichaean, Zoroastrian, and Christian communities, and on a lesser quantity of secular documents. The Turfan Collection in Berlin provides a unique opportunity to study original materials. A wealth of recently excavated sites and find materials in Central and Eastern Asia allow new approaches to a number of old questions concerning the complex cultural history along the Silk Roads. Applicants are free to choose their topic, and it is important to remember that artifacts and texts that have already been published often have a lot more to reveal than has already been discovered. The following is an indication of the kind of topics possible and is not intended to exhaust or limit the possibilities.
Objectives
PhD proposals in the field of archaeology, art and cultural history: Technical and statistical analyses of excavated finds, detailed in-depth studies of particular object groups or materials, archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological studies related to environmental and climate change and societal transformations are welcome. In processing the source material, a holistic view of the entire living environment from which the material originates and an understanding of a broad transregional interconnectedness of phenomena is expected. We encourage discussions on current issues of the interdependence of archaeology, art, cultural history and colonial history, decolonization, restitution.
PhD proposals in the field of Iranian studies: The focus is of Iranian languages and literatures until Late Antiquity and about the main religious streams current in the Iranian area. Welcome are linguistic topics, e.g. studies of the verbal system and a detailed analysis of its use in Middle Persian or Parthian texts, the transition between Middle Persian and New Persian, Studies of the Sogdian Buddhist and Christian text tradition, problems of dialectological variation relating to religious communities, scribal conventions. Literary studies could be e.g., the composition of Manichaean Parthian hymn-cycles or the analysis of the constitution of the Middle Persian Zoroastrian literature and its relationship to the Manichaean one, etc. Religious subjects, especially concerning the multifarious relationships between the Manichaean and the Zoroastrian doctrines and with other neighboring communities would provide many interesting research topics. Pre-knowledge of the textual body to be studied and a good working knowledge of relevant research languages are indispensable.
PhD proposals in the field of Turkic studies: Philological, linguistic, literary, cultural and/or historical research on Old Turkic texts is welcome, as well as projects investigating the lexis and syntax of Old Uyghur and Chinese based on Buddhist and Manichaean texts (with a focus on translation techniques and interference between source and target language. Pre-knowledge of the textual body to be studied and a good working knowledge of relevant research languages are indispensable.
Who can apply?
The call is only open to applicants who do not have German citizenship. They must not have completed a PhD previously. The most recent graduate degree (M.A.) must have been taken no more than 5 years, 9 months prior to the application deadline (last possible date of graduation: 1 April 2017). Applicants must not have been resident in Germany for more than the last 12 months as of the application deadline.
Duration and funding
The scholarships are available from 1 October 2023 (Wintersemester 2023/24) for four years, subject to a satisfactory annual progress review.
In accordance with DAAD guidelines, doctoral scholarship holders receive a stipend of 1,200 Euros a month, a travel allowance, a combined health, accident and liability insurance policy, allowances for study and research (rent and family allowances, where applicable); financial support for a pre-sessional German language course. Plus, material resources and supervision allowance of 1,000 Euros per year, which is paid to the BerGSAS.
Your Application
Coordinator: Dr. Regina Attula, regina.attula@berliner-antike-kolleg.org
Application process
Application is only possible via the BerGSAS portal. The procedure takes place in two stages:
- Please register at https://application.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/bergsas. After you have created a personal account, you can upload your application documents until 00:00 CEWT on 1 December 2022. BerGSAS will invite shortlisted candidates to an online interview within two months of the application deadline.
- BerGSAS will nominate the candidates selected for a scholarship to the DAAD. The DAAD will make the final selection and will inform you. Please note that admission to doctoral studies and the receipt of a scholarship is subject to assessment by the Host University (Humboldt Universität or Freie Universität) and by the DAAD.
Application documents
Two letters of reference from university professors are required, one of which must be mandatory from a professor at your home university. The letters are confidential documents and should be sent by the university teachers a PDF file directly to: regina.attula@berliner-antike-kolleg.org
Only the DAAD form, which can be downloaded here, may be used for this purpose: www.daad.de/medien/deutschland/stipendien/formulare/recommendation.pdf
If registered at https://application.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/bergsas, you will find the list documents required. This includes among other documents copies of various documents (which do not have to be officially certified).
- Certificate of a language examination in English e.g., IELTS Academic or TOEFL (at least B2 level).
- Certificates of any academic degree (B.A. and M.A.) or advanced qualifications indicating grades and explaining the grading system of your home university.
- If you do not yet have a Master's degree: copies of certificates of annual examinations taken at your home university.
Application deadline
The deadline for your application is 00:00 CEWT on 1 December 2022. The selection committee will not consider incomplete or late applications.