Dear Colleagues,
with apologies for cross-posting, I'd be grateful if you could draw the following opportunity to the attention of any suitable candidates.
Best wishes,
Sara

PhD Studentship in German at the Institute of German Studies, University of Birmingham

The Institute of German Studies at the University of Birmingham is seeking to support a three-year PhD Studentship in the context of the DAAD-funded project: ‘Weltanschauungen: The German Past and the Contemporary World’ (details below).

The successful candidate will complete their thesis on a topic related to the initiative and will provide administrative and research support to the project team. They will also be expected to contribute to teaching at the University of Birmingham in the second and final years of their doctoral candidacy. The stipend attached to the studentship will be at the level fixed by the UK Research Councils (currently £13,590 per annum, plus UK/EU fees). Supervision will be provided by the most appropriate member(s) of the research team. The studentship will commence in January 2013 and continue for three years.

The successful candidate will hold an MA or equivalent in a relevant topic. Fluency in German would be an asset.

Prospective candidates should send applications, including a CV and research outline (no more than 2 sides of A4) indicating their fit with the project to both: Dr Sara Jones ([log in to unmask]) and Dr Felix Heiduk ([log in to unmask]). The deadline for applications is 31 August 2012. Informal enquiries prior to full applications are welcomed.

For further information on the Institute of German Studies see: www.igs.bham.ac.uk

Weltanschauungen: The German Past and the Contemporary World

Beginning in January 2013, the IGS Birmingham will consolidate and expand its role as a hub for the support and inspiration of German Studies in the United Kingdom, as well as its reputation as a leading global research centre, through establishing a high-profile academic network: Weltanschauungen: The German Past and the Contemporary World. The network will be structured around four short research visits by eminent scholars, each accompanied by postgraduate students. The scholars will use their time at the IGS to build closer research collaborations with researchers working in UK German Studies and present their work at UK institutions.

The project aims to examine in detail the interaction between collective memory, policy elaboration, and the personal remembering of different individuals and social groups. The project will bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to consider the continuing impact of 20th-century German history, particularly the legacy of fascist and communist dictatorships, on 21st-century political decision-making. We will consider the interaction between the memory of individuals, social memory within different groups, cultural artefacts representing the past, and attempts to structure collective memory from above.

The particular research questions to be addressed by the network are:
•	What is the impact of the legacy of dictatorship on political decision-making processes in 21st century Germany? 
•	How is the past deployed in the service of contemporary political concerns? To what end is Germany’s history remembered? 
•	How and why do contemporary political decision-makers attempt to direct the formation of collective memory? 
•	How do individual and social memories interact with cultural and political memory formation? How are “memory contests” fought and won? 
•	Do politics in Germany continue to be directed by the legacy of fascism or are new paradigms emerging? 
•	How is the role of the past in contemporary German politics seen outside Germany? 
•	What can the study of collective memory in Germany reveal about the role of the past in other national contexts?

The research visits and associated seminars are structured around four core strands: foreign and security policy; European integration; immigration; cultural policy.

The doctoral research student assisting on the project will produce a dissertation on the topic of memory and policy formation with a focus on one or more of the core research strands. S/he will also benefit from interaction and engagement with the international group of experts involved in the network and will gain practical experience and skills through assisting in the administration and management of the project.