GRANTS- PhD and Postdoctoral Positions at the MPI for Social
Anthropology
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Directors: Prof. Dr. Günther Schlee - Prof. Dr. Christopher Hann
PO Box 11 03 51, 06017 D - Halle/Saale
Advokatenweg 36, 06114 Halle/Saale
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)3 45-29 27-200
Fax: +49 (0)3 45-29 27-202
http://www.eth.mpg.de
Our Institute has the opportunity to offer
PhD and Postdoctoral Grants
starting January 2003.
Comparative research into social transformations forms the basis of
our
Institute's research program.
The grants are to be award in the context of the following two
programs:
1. 'Integration and conflict' headed by Prof. Dr. Günther Schlee
Integration and conflict are central points of reference for the
analysis of
the interaction of ethnic gro!
ups
and states. The construction, meaning and communication of identity
offer an
important field of research within this frame of reference. The
analysis of
descriptions of the self and the other in processes of peaceful and
violent
interaction and, in particular, the conditions of the development
of
identities in confrontations with other groups, are at the centre
of this
research project. The description and analysis of conflict
mechanisms are
also play an important role. The regional foci of this research
project are
West Africa, northern East Africa and Central Asia.
Further information can be found under Integration and Conflict on
our
homepage: http://www.eth.mpg.de
2. 'Religion and Civil Society' headed by Prof. Dr. Christopher
Hann
This research program concentrates on the examination of religion
in=!
0D
po
stsocialist societies. The preferred regional focus is Central
Asia,
although projects in other Asian and East European states are
possible. The
examination of religious communities and their position in
postsocialist
societies are the core of this project, together with the
examination of new
sources of values and meanings. Within this framework, special
attention is
paid to the 'fit' between the beliefs and practices of particular
religious
movements and those of liberal 'civil society'. The individual
projects are
to be based on contemporary fieldwork. Comparative approaches are
particularly desirable.
Further background concerning these projects can be found under
Postsocialist Eurasia / Religion and Civil Society on our homepage:
http://www.eth.mpg.de
The Postdoctoral Grants are for two years (a one-year extension is
=0!
Apossible0D
for foreigners). Post-doctoral Grants can only be awarded to
scientists, who
have acquired their doctorate within the last ten years. The grants
are not
taxed and freed of social security stipulations.
PhD Grants are generally awarded for 2 years with the possibility
of two
six-month extensions. We expect our PhD grantees to complete a
yearlong
period of fieldwork as part of their studies.
The Max Planck Society is committed to raising the proportion of
women in
underrepresented fields; we thus explicitly encourage applications
by women.
Handicapped individuals will be given priority, assuming equal
qualifications.
Applications should include the standard documentations and a
project
resume. Final selection will be made following interviews in late
October-November. Please send applications and the names of !
two
referees
(whom we may contact for confidential references) to the following
address
before September 30th 2002:
Max-Planck-Institute for Social Anthropology
Personnel Administration
P.O. Box 11 03 51
D-06017 Halle/Saale
Religion and Civil Society
What follows here is a brief and preliminary outline of some of the
thinking
behind the new Focus Theme to be introduced in the Postsocialist
Eurasia
group from January 2003. Both PhD and post-doctoral positions are
being
advertised in summer 2002. Prospective applicants are encouraged to
read
these notes, including the guidelines at the end, and to contact
Chris Hann
([log in to unmask]) if they have further questions.
The concept of religion and its place in modern society has been a
prominent
theme in the social sciences from their inception, e!
.g. in Max
Weber's
analysis of the links between Protestantism and Capitalism, or in
Karl
Marx's dismissal of religion as the 'opiate of the people'. In the
case of
Emile Durkheim, religion was central to his sociological
theorizing, and the
tradition that insists on view-ing religion as a reflection of the
social,
as 'society worshipping itself', has had enormous influence on
anthropological explorations of the religious field in all types of
society.
In Durkheim's lifetime, the Catholic Church was still a rather
reactionary
public force in France, and the sociologist hoped that his own
science might
provide the basis of a new morality or conscience collective. A
century
later, an Enlightenment model that would confine religion to the
'private
sphere' is still strictly maintained by the French state. However,
this
model is p!
roblematic
for some minority religious communities, and
other
western European states regulate church-state relations quite
differently.
The proposed new Focus Theme is concerned with those parts of
Europe and
Asia that experienced socialist rule. Given their long-term
historical
differences, together with contrasting experiences of the socialist
period
itself and its aftermath, it is unsurprising that there is
considerable
diversity in this field today. Possible topics for investigation
include the
current position of 'dominant churches', such as the Roman Catholic
Church
in Poland. This example retained its strength in Polish society
throughout
the Socialist period. The position of the Orthodox Church in a
country such
as Georgia is rather different, given the stronger history of
repression in
the Soviet Union. Nonetheless th!
is church
(like its sister church
in Greece)
also claims a special relation to the nation-state, and tends to be
intolerant of 'new', rival religious currents. The Central Asian
republics,
where Islam dominates, also offer many possibilities to explore how
far
different religious currents are compatible with 'liberal' notions
of civil
society.
Some projects are likely to focus on smaller communities of faith
and their
position in the postsocialist 'religious marketplace'. These might
be
subdivided into 'revivals' of older traditions, perhaps lacking any
formal
organization (e.g. shamanism in many parts of Siberia), established
'minority religions' (e.g. the Jewish tradition), and new religions
(e.g.
American-sponsored Protestant and 'sectarian' groupings).
Alternatively, some work in the new Focus Theme might pursue a more
ge!
neral
=0
A concern with the establishment of new sources of values and
'meaning', now
that the secular utopia promised by socialism has been exposed as a
failure.
Is it because the options available for a new secular morality are
so
limited that many people prefer to hold on to the ideals of
socialism? In
what sense, if any, do the successor institutions (political
parties, but
also other organs now establishing a new place in civil society)
continue to
substitute for religious faith as conventionally defined?
All project proposals should be based on new fieldwork, part of
which should
be concerned with the specialists or activists of the community,
while part
should follow up their impact in different social circles and the
networks
of civil society. While the political significance of religion is
one
obvious source of interest (!
e.g. links
to the (re)assertion of
national
identity), other possibilities include investigations of the
pertinence of
religion for entrepreneurial success, status, educational
strategies etc.
There is no rigid insistence on one specific theoretical
perspective or
methodological orientation. However, in addition to a basic
Durkheimian
concern with the social significance of religion and ritual, the
situation
of the post-socialist countries does lend itself particularly well
to
theories concerned to address the dynamics of religious change -
with the
transmission of faith in the 'private sphere' in times of public
repression,
and with the re-establishment of institutional structures when this
repression is over. This implies that some projects might, at least
in part,
be concerned with recovering the 'secret histories' of religions =0!
D
under0D
socialism.
Applications for support to work in any part of the post-socialist
world are
welcome. Local projects are possible: our Institute is located in
East
Germany, where the number of atheists remains significantly higher
than in
the West. Particular encouragement is given to applicants proposing
work in
Central Asia, where it is hoped to set up a number of linked,
comparative
projects. Individual projects may themselves involve comparison,
but need
not do so necessarily. It is expected that all applicants should
have some
familiarity already with the languages that they need for their
proposed
fieldwork, and also with the theories and methods of social
anthropology (as
a new research Institute we are not in a position to provide basic
training). Normally this means that a prospective PhD student
should have a=0!
D
Mas
ters level qualification in anthropology, but there are cases in
which it
is possible to relax this criterion.
All applications should include a CV, a brief research proposal
(maximum of
two pages), and the names of two referees, to whom we may write for
a
confidential reference.
|
