Mecila (Maria Sibylla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America) is a joint project of the following German and Latin American research institutions: Freie Universität Berlin (coordination); Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Berlin); Universität zu Köln (Cologne); Universidade de São Paulo and Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (São Paulo); Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (Universidad Nacional de La Plata/Conicet, La Plata); and El Colegio de México (Mexico City).
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and established in São Paulo in April 2017, the Centre constitutes and coordinates an international research network that focuses on the co-constitution of conviviality and inequality from an interdisciplinary perspective. Research at the Centre addresses the processes of negotiation, legitimation, transformation, and representation of existing hierarchies as they take place in everyday interactions and within institutions. A general outline of the Centre’s research programme is available on our website.
The Centre cordially invites a group composed of two Senior and two Junior Fellows to collectively apply for a Thematic Research Group on Mecila’s Yearly Theme 2023 Medialities to work together at the Centre in Sao Paulo for the duration of six months (from 01 March 2023 – 31 August 2023). Fellows are expected to commit fulltime to their proposed research activities at the Centre. For the duration of the Fellowship, fellows will normally receive a monthly allowance, depending on individual circumstances and taking other forms of income before and during the fellowship into account. Alternatively, the fellowship can be used to finance a temporary replacement (buy-out).
Please check our leaflet on our annual theme: https://mecila.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Annual_Theme_Medialities_2023_final.pdf
Requirements
To promote international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational exchange, the Thematic Research Group should be composed by
- outstanding scholars based at institutions in at least two different countries;
- scholars of diverse disciplinary backgrounds;
- Senior Scholars holding a senior position at a university or research institution, or comparable qualifications, and Junior Fellows who have obtained their doctoral degrees in the past five years;
- at least one member based at one of the seven partner institutions of Mecila;
- one or two members need to be affiliated with a research institution in Germany.
- All group members have the ability to and interest in actively participating in an international and interdisciplinary research environment.
- All group members have a very good command of the English language.
Responsibilities
- The Research Group conducts six months (01 March 2023 – 31 August 2023) of research to study the impacts of Medialities in past or present configurations and regimes of conviviality-inequality.
- The Research Group participates actively in the Centre’s activities (including the bi-weekly colloquia) and engages in interdisciplinary exchange.
- The Research Group contributes at least two Working Papers to Mecila’s Working Paper Series.
- The Research Group contributes at least twice to the Centre’s outreach activities (interview, blog entry, video, public lecture, policy paper, etc.)
- The Research Group participates in an International Thematic Workshop on Medialities to take place at the end of their fellowship.
Application
Applicants are invited to send the following documents in English, Spanish, or Portuguese via e-mail as a single PDF-attachment no later than 31 January 2022 to the Coordination Office in São Paulo (mecila@cebrap.org.br):
- Motivation letter (max. 500 words)
- Research outline discussing the research question and the scholarly added value of the Research Group’s project (max. 1.500 words)
- Work plan detailing how the proposed project will be realised during the stay at the Centre
- Curriculum Vitae, including lists of publications of all four group members.
Selection Criteria
Applications from prospective Thematic Research Groups will be submitted to a peer-review process. The primary selection criterion is the Research Group’s potential to yield original and excellent research results through the collaboration with the Centre. The scientific merit of the project will be assessed in terms of its originality, the importance of the scientific questions addressed, and its relevance to study medialities in the context of conviviality-inequality. An appropriate methodology and a feasible timeframe will also be part of the assessment.
Final decisions will be taken by Mecila’s Executive Board, in close consultation with its Advisory Board and Ethics Committee, aiming at disciplinary and gender balance as well as intersectional equity and an adequate regional representation. We aim to inform the applicants of the selection results by.
For further inquiries regarding the Fellowship or the application process, please refer to our FAQ: https://mecila.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/211208_Fellowship-FAQ.pdf
By applying to this scholarship you consent that we use the information you provide for the granting process.