The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology is one of the world’s leading centres for research in social anthropology. Common to all research projects at the Max Planck Institute is the comparative analysis of social change; it is primarily in this domain that its researchers contribute to anthropological theory, though many programmes also have applied significance and political topicality.
The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology has the opportunity to offer
2 PhD grants
starting 1st of October 2014 (or as soon as possible thereafter), within the Research Group
“Connectivity in Motion: Port Cities of the Indian Ocean”
Headed by Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schnepel (MPI-Fellow)
The Research Group examines the socio-cultural and historical dimensions of movements across the Indian Ocean. Several paradigmatic port cities of the Indian Ocean are taken as empirical starting points for social anthropological and ethnohistorical research. The Research Group is guided by the theorem of connectivity in motion”. Hence, it studies the manifold linkages and networks across the Indian Ocean, focusing on the maritime movements of human beings, material objects, ideas, religions, languages, political systems and technologies through which alone such connections come to life. Taking the Indian Ocean as a frame of reference and applying a transregional perspective on “connectivity in motion” also seeks to achieve new insights in the problematic of globalization. It adds historical depth to and “re-orients” common views of globalization, as it is concerned not only with earlier, but also with eastern and southern forms of globalization.
For further information on the programme, see:
http://www.eth.mpg.de/cms/en/research/fellow_groups/mpfg02/index.html
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
We expect successful candidates to conduct intensive ethnohistorical research in one or more port cities of the Indian Ocean of their own choices, preferably at the East African Coast or in Southeast Asia.
Your Profile
Good field research skills, the ability and willingness to work in a team, communication skills with good and written English are required. As a rule dissertations will be written in English. Acquisition of German language is encouraged and assisted by the MPI.
The curriculum will take place in Halle/Saale and the group will work together also in Halle/Saale.
Our Offer
The PhD grants offered here will be awarded for three years, with the possibility of two six-month extensions. The grants are not taxed and they are free from social security stipulations.
The Max Planck Society strives to employ more persons with disabilities and explicitly encourages applications. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society is committed to raising the proportion of women in underrepresented fields; we thus explicitly encourage applications by women.
The amount of the doctoral scholarships is 1365.00 EUR.
Contact
There is no application form, but applications should include the following standard documentation:
- Cover letter
- CV, including a list of publications
- Project proposal (two to four pages only)
- Photocopies of university degrees
- Names of 2-3 referees, who may be contacted for confidential references
Please submit your application electronically by 15th of July 2014 following the link for vacancies on our homepage.
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Robert Gille
gille@eth.mpg.de
Informal inquiries may be directed to Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schnepel: burkhard.schnepel@ethnologie.uni-halle.de
We look forward to receiving your completed online application under http://www.eth.mpg.de/cms/de/vacancies/vacancies_external.html?url=/Vacancies/204/Application/New/2%3Flang=eng.
Further information on the research agenda of the Max Planck Institute is available
on our website: http://www.eth.mpg.de