The University of Heidelberg invites applications for two 3-year PhD positions in the European Research Council Project “Entangled Parliamentarisms: Constitutional Practices in Russia, Ukraine, China, and Mongolia, 1905–2005.” One PhD candidate will explore the history of Ukrainian parliamentarism from the participation of Ukrainian representatives in the State Duma of the Russian Empire to the 2004 Constitutional Reform. One PhD candidate will focus on the history of the concept of khural and its institutional forms in Mongolia and the Russian Federation (Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva).

The project “Entangled Parliamentarisms: Constitutional Practices in Russia, Ukraine, China, and Mongolia, 1905–2005” addresses the entangled histories of deliberative decision making, political representation, and constitutionalism on the territories of the former Russian and Qing Empires and focuses on the cases of Russia, Ukraine, China, and Mongolia between 1905 and 2005. Employing the perspectives of the New Imperial History and Transcultural Studies, the project overcomes narrow state-centered approaches and takes advantage of multidisciplinary methodology crossing history and political science. The project traces parliamentary developments, the interactions among imperial and post-imperial intellectuals and their engagement in global discussions, shared imperial legacies, mutual borrowings and references, imperial and post-imperial political practices, and translatability of concepts. It seeks to refute the stereotypes about inclinations towards democracy in particular national contexts by tracing relevant transnational practices and interactions and providing a nuanced political and intellectual history of parliamentarism.

The University of Heidelberg will employ the PhD candidates for three years (gross monthly salary is budgeted at 45% of TV-L E13/2, approx. 2,475 EUR) and sponsor two months of archival fieldwork in Ukraine and Mongolia, respectively. The prospective candidates have to hold an MA (or equivalent) degree in history or a related field and have excellent knowledge of English (TOEFL 90 or IELTS 7), Ukrainian or Mongolian, respectively, and Russian. The position is scheduled to start on October 1, 2018.

Please, submit the following documents electronically as a single PDF-file to entpar.heidelberg@gmail.com by May 31, 2018 (CET):
- a cover letter;
- a CV;
- a certificate of an MA (or equivalent) degree;
- a transcript of records;
- a certificate of proficiency in English (TOEFL or IELTS);
- a short essay (750–1000 words without references) explaining how you would do research on the proposed topic.

The CV and the essay have to be written in English. Other documents can be submitted in English, Ukrainian, Russian, or German. If the completion of the MA degree is expected in 2018, the transcript of records will suffice. If you have peer-reviewed publications, please attach them as PDF-copies to the application (not mandatory).