Deadline Extended! New deadline for applications: 31.10.2023
One position as a post-doctoral research fellow (m/f/div) is available at Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin, with a start date of 1 January 2024. It comes with a fixed contract duration of three years. The position is part of the Leibniz Collaborative Excellence project “Crafting Entanglements: Afro-Asian Pasts of the Global Cold War” (CRAFTE), funded by the Leibniz Association (Leibniz Competition 2023-26), with Dr. Anandita Bajpai as the Principal Investigator. Applicants are advised to read the CRAFTE project outline carefully:
https://www.zmo.de/en/research/mainresearchprogram/representations-of-the-past/crafting-entanglements-afro-asian-pasts-of-the-global-cold-war-crafte
The salary grade corresponds to the German scheme of employment in the public sector (TVöD Bund, salary group E13, FTE 100%). Additional funds for research and conference travel, visa fees (if required), and publications are available.
As part of the broader CRAFTE framework, the post-doctoral research fellow will focus on:
Afro-Asian Entanglements in the Divided City of Cold War Berlin
This unit of the project focuses on the divided Cold War city of Berlin as a resource for Afro-Asian entanglements. Present in the two cities for various reasons as journalists, academics, diplomats, migrants escaping dictatorial regimes, students, traders, shopkeepers etc. actors arrived through differently organized trajectories in East and West Berlin. Some of the questions to be addressed are: How did actors from the African and Asian continents utilize the city(ies) as a resource for personal mobility and how did their presence inform the making of its political, social and infra- structural spaces? If so, then how, did they engage with each other to produce spaces of every- day entanglement?
Whereas social histories and ethnographies of German lives divided by the Wall in Berlin abound, there are rarely any accounts of Afro-Asian presences in them. The project will be an exploration into the everyday lives of Afro-Asian actors, placing their horizontal interconnections on the map of Cold War historiography on Berlin.
Any candidates with a prior similar research focus on actors from either Asian or African countries are strongly encouraged to develop a proposal on 'Afro-Asian entanglements in the divided city of Berlin' and apply.
The CRAFTE project will be part of the ZMO research unit “Representations of the Past”.The post will be filled upon the release of funds. Your responsibilities:
Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient Kirchweg 33
14129 Berlin
T +49 30 80307-0
zmo@zmo.de
- Development of a post-doctoral research project within the CRAFTE framework, in close cooperation with the project leader
- Autonomous research in German and especially Berlin’s archives, on published sources and scholarly literature
- Oral history research with interlocutors
- Regular contribution to the project’s oral history and grey literature database
- Submission of a monograph OR 3 research articles in peer-reviewed journals on the research subject
- Co-editing of a special issue/edited volume
- Assisting the PI in the conceptualization and organization of an exhibition on the Divided City and its Afro-Asian inhabitants in a museum/gallery in Berlin (and a digital format) in the last year of the project.
- Presentation of research at workshops and conferences
- Participation in activities of the CRAFTE programme (internal meetings, lecture series, workshops, and conferences)
- Participation in key academic formats of the host institute (such as project presentations and colloquia) Candidate profile:
- Above-average academic performance and PhD degree in history or a related discipline (social and cultural anthropology, Area Studies, or other), a focus on the Cold War and German history is desirable (if the PhD has not formally been awarded: written confirmation of when the viva will take place)
- Excellent command of English and German, command of any languages from Asian and/or African countries relevant to the proposed project are desired.
- Excellent communication and team skills
- Ability to work independently
- Good knowledge of MS Office
About ZMO:
ZMO, located in the Nikolassee area of Berlin, is the only research institute in Germany with an interdisciplinary and comparative historical approach to research on the Middle East, Eurasia, Africa, South and Southeast Asia. The focus of its research is the interaction within majority Muslim societies and their relationships with their non-Muslim neighbouring regions. ZMO is part of the Leibniz Association, which connects 97 independent research institutions in Germany. Their focus ranges from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, social sciences and the humanities. We offer a vibrant and interdisciplinary work environment and a collegial atmosphere. The institute is committed to achieving a good work-life balance.
Application:
When filling positions in areas of employment in which one gender is underrepresented or diversity is low, applicants with the same qualifications and suitability who belong to underrepre- sented groups are given priority. Search committees represent gender equality and diversity while looking for high standards of academic rigour in the candidates. Severely disabled persons are given preferential consideration if they are equally qualified.
Make sure to include the following application materials:
- Cover letter outlining motivation for applying
- A short research outline (4-5 pages), explaining which specific research questions you would like to address, along with the methodology and hints at archival holdings of relevance and/or contacts with potential interlocutors.
- CV
- Writing sample (this could be an academic article or a book/thesis chapter)
- A list of 2 potential referees and their contact details (reference letters are not required).
Please combine all application materials in one PDF file and, using the reference code CRAFTE- POSTDOC, send them to the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Dr. Silke Nagel (zmo@zmo.de) by 31 October 2023. Interviews of shortlisted candidates are foreseen in November, 2023.
For further information on the project and structure of the position, please contact Dr. Anandita Bajpai (Anandita.Bajpai@zmo.de)