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 Siberian Studies Centre plans to recruit three PhD students to commence their work at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology on (or shortly after) 15 March 2014.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
We expect PhD students to complete twelve months of fieldwork in the Russian Federation as part of their studies.

Your Profile
Applicants will be co-supervised by Dr Joachim Otto Habeck, coordinator of the Siberian Studies Centre, and one of the three directors of the Institute (or a research group leader). Applicants are encouraged to submit research proposals pertinent to the region of study – Siberia, the Far East of Russia, and the Far North of Russia (including its European part) – and a clear thematic focus of relevance for one of the three departments of the Institute. These are:

– Department ‘Law & Anthropology’ headed by Prof. Marie-Claire Foblets;
The Department of Law and Anthropology has a particular interest in research focusing on how people in contemporary societies combine several normative orders. The latter vary with the histories of the
societies/communities and the degree to which they participate in globalisation today. Siberia can serve as an excellent test case. The research should be empirical in nature, and involve – subject to their relevance – kinship relations, dispute settlement mechanisms, property and land issues, the role of human rights, the impact of religion.
www.eth.mpg.de/cms/en/research/d3

– Department ‘Resilience and Transformation in Eurasia’ headed by Prof. Chris Hann.
The Department ‘Resilience and Transformation in Eurasia’ engages with general questions of post-socialist transformation and economic anthropology (Chris Hann), historical anthropology (Dittmar Schorkowitz) and cultural heritage (Christoph Brumann).
www.eth.mpg.de/cms/en/research/d2

– Department ‘Integration and Conflict’ headed by Prof. Günther Schlee;
Integration and conflict are central points of reference for the analysis of human collectivities. 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 others in processes of peaceful and violent interaction and, in particular, the development of identities in confrontation with other groups, are at the centre of the Department’s research programme. Description and analysis of conflict mechanisms also play an important role here.
www.eth.mpg.de/cms/en/research/d1

Our Offer
The positions are generally awarded for two years, with the possibility for two six-month extensions. The curriculum will take place in Halle/Saale and the group will work together also in Halle/Saale.

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.

For further information please visit: H-Soz-u-Kult