MPI for Social Anthropology: Up to 4 PhD positions 1012 views

The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology invite applications for two to four PhD positions (f/m/d) at the Department ‘Law and Anthropology’ starting 1st October 2019. The positions are offered within the framework of the fellowship group “Environmental Rights in Cultural Context”, conducted by Dirk Hanschel (Max Planck Fellow and Professor of Law at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) from 2019 through 2023.

About the Project:

• The project examines to what extent environmental rights (ranging from a human right to a sound or healthy environment to rights of nature itself) provide protection and serve as a tool of resilience for local communities that are particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges to their cultural identity and autonomy resulting from, e.g., climate change, large scale infrastructure projects and extraction activities.

Requirements:

• Applicants should hold an advanced degree in law and/or anthropology.
• Excellent academic writing and communication skills in English are essential.
• Projects may focus on any geographical area, but there is a clear preference for Ecuador/Bolivia, Ethiopia and Mongolia.
• Prior field experience and knowledge of relevant national and local languages are desirable. Brief research proposals (maximum 2 pages) should be attached; successful applicants are expected to be willing to modify details of their proposal if necessary when the Research Group is consolidated.

Duration: 3 years, with the possibility of two six-month extensions

Applications:

• Submit application electronically and send the following documentation:
• Cover letter
• CV including a list of publications
• Two-page summary of the proposed research, which should demonstrate clear links to the applicant’s previous work and qualifications and to the respective research field
• Copies of university degrees
• Names of two or three referees who may be contacted