Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) - FOR 5183 "Cross-border Mobility and Institutional Dynamics"

The University of Cologne is looking for a PhD candidate in the project "Migration, Intersectionality and Institutional Interaction: Experiences of African Migrants in the United Arab Emirates", headed by Prof. Dr. Michaela Pelican. 

The project is part of the interdisciplinary research group "Cross-border Mobility and Institutional Dynamics" (FOR 5183) coordinated at the University of Siegen. The research group investigates interactions between mobility and institutions, specifically: the importance of institutions for shaping and controlling cross-border mobility, as well as the consequences of mobility for the existence and transformation of institutions. Five projects from the disciplines of sociology, anthropology and political science will collaborate in the research group. The empirical-qualitative, theory-oriented and reflective methodological work of the research group is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). 

The project "Migration, Intersectionality and Institutional Interaction" examines the interaction between migrant actors and representatives of the institutions found in the Gulf States. It assumes that the institutions relevant for labor migration (formal and informal institutions of the labor and housing market, migration authorities, institutions of migrant self-organization) do not treat mobile persons as homogeneous clientele, but that in institutional interactions different positionalities are made relevant by all parties. Accordingly, the project is interested in how intersectionality shapes interactions between migrants and institutional actors in the Gulf States and how social positionings are strategically used by both sides. Empirically, the project examines the experiences of migrants from Africa (especially Ethiopia and Cameroon) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Particular focus will be placed on the institution of the kafala or sponsorship system, which is widespread in the Gulf region and closely linked to institutions of migration control and the labor market, as well as on institutions of migrant self-organization.

Download:  brief description of FOR 5183 and the project.

YOUR TASKS

• Development of a PhD project on the topic of „Migration, Intersectionality and Institutional Interaction: Experiences of African Migrants in the United Arab Emirates“ taking into account the
  objectives of the project.
• Data collection and analysis; ethnographic field research in the United Arab Emirates (12 months in total) and Ethiopia (3 months).
• Presentation of results in the form of regular reports, lectures and publications.
• Support in the organization of academic and policy events (conferences, workshops, working meetings).
• Participation in and contributions to the activities of the research group (FOR 5183)

YOUR PROFILE

• Completed master‘s degree (MA) in social and cultural anthropology, sociology, or a closely related field of study; familiarity with migration research will be beneficial.
• Strong interest in social science theory building, initial experience with ethnographic research will be beneficial.
• Willingness to conduct several months of ethnographic research in the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia; familiarity with the research sites will be beneficial.
• Excellent knowledge of English is required; knowledge of German or willingness to learn German for communication purposes is desired; knowledge of Amharic or Oromo will be
  beneficial.
• Due to the intersectional orientation of the project and research team, applications from ethnic minorities and women are especially desired.

Go to the job description posted on the job portal of the University of Cologne

The position is available from 01.01.2022 on a part-time basis (65% / 25,89 hours per week). It is limited until 31.12.2025. If the applicant meets the relevant wage requirements and personal qualifications, the salary is based on remuneration group 13 TV-L of the pay scale for the German public sector.

Please send your application with the usual documents (letter of motivation, research proposal 1-3 pages/1000 words limit), CV, transcript of records) plus a writing sample (e.g., master‘s thesis or publication) by email (in one pdf-file)
with the reference number Wiss2108-14 to m.boeck@uni-koeln.de.

• The application deadline is 01.10.2021.
  
• Digital interviews with selected candidates are scheduled for Tuesday, 19.10.2021 in the afternoon.

For questions regarding the content of the project, please contact Prof. Dr. Michaela Pelican (mpelican@uni-koeln.de).

4 Positions as Doctoral Researcher (w/m/d) - ERC Advanced Grant Project "Rewilding the Anthropocene"

REWILDING is an environmental anthropological project contributing to the budding field of environmental humanities generally and to debates on the shifting entanglements between people, flora, and fauna in the world’s largest conservation landscape, the southern African Kavango-Zambezi Transboundary Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), in particular.

REWILDING is a unique attempt to grasp changing socio-ecological relations among humans and other species in one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive conservation experiments.

REWILDING consists of six field studies, each of which will have a comparative component and an in-depth focus on particular multi-species assemblages. The comparative approach examines how human livelihoods, institutions, social imaginaries, and attitudes change under – and give rise to – new socio-ecological conditions. The second part focuses on six multi-species assemblages (e.g. elephant, carnivores, tsetse fly, rosewood etc). Each assemblage is comprised of a loose multi-scalar network consisting of different species populations, environmental infrastructures and technologies, and human actors and organizations. The project is tied into networks of interdisciplinary research on the effects of recent population rebounds among mega-herbivores, vectors of epidemic diseases tied to such refaunation, and the socio-economic ramifications of rapidly commodifying diverse flora and fauna.  

The Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology at the University of Cologne comprises a thriving faculty with research expertise in Africa, Asia and Polynesia, among others. The project also partners with the University’s Global South Study Centre, which brings together further research strengths and opportunities.

Doctoral candidates will be supervised by Prof. Michael Bollig and a regional supervisor to be agreed on; they can propose a regional supervisor from among University of Cologne faculty, or from any other institution of higher education.

YOUR TASKS

• Developing a PhD project on the topic of REWILDING with an in-depth focus on particular multi-species assemblages.
• Conducting ethnographic fieldwork for about 12-15 months in south-central Africa (either Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe or Angola).
• Data collection and analysis.
• Presentation of results in the form of regular reports, lectures and publications.
  Participating on regular project meetings.
• Support in the organization of academic and policy events (conferences, workshops, working meetings)

YOUR PROFILE

• Completed master‘s degree (MA) in Ethnologie / Social and Cultural Anthropology (or related disciplines).
• Expertise in environmental anthropology.
• Willingness to conduct several months of ethnographic research in south-central Africa; familiarity with the research sites will be beneficial.
• Excellent knowledge of English is required; knowledge of German or willingness to learn German for communication purposes is desired.

Go to the job description posted on the job portal of the University of Cologne

The positions are available from 01.01.2022 on a part-time basis (75% / 29,87 hours per week). They are limited until 31.12.2024, with an option of extending for an additional year. If the applicants meet the relevant wage requirements and personal qualifications, the salary is based on remuneration group 13 TV-L of the pay scale for the German public sector.

Please send your application with proof of the sought-after qualifications
with the reference number Wiss2109-01 to m.boeck@uni-koeln.de

The application deadline is 31.10.2021.

Digital interviews with selected candidates are scheduled for beginning of November 2021.

For questions regarding the content of the project, please contact Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig  (michael.bollig@uni-koeln.de)