Two Doctoral Researchers Positions on Informal Communication during World War II

Published by sanja

Deadline: 21 June 2019
Open to: MA in history and related areas
Benefits: salary with health insurance and benefits according to Germany’s salary scale for civil service employees

Description

The Institute for Contemporary History Munich – Berlin (IfZ) invites applications for two Doctoral Researcher’s positions, with place of employment in Munich, for the following, Leibniz Competition-funded project: “‘Man hört, man spricht’: Informal Communication and Information ‘From Below’ in Nazi Europe” (INFOCOM).

INFOCOM is a five-year collaborative research project dedicated to investigating the intersection between official, “from above,” and state-driven communication and “from below” practices of information production, gathering, and interpretation in Nazi Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe. Inspired by cultural histories of National Socialism, media studies, and historical anthropologies of violence and war, the project highlights “from below” practices of communication — especially rumor — to explore innovative questions and establish a modern, transnational history of communication under National Socialism. How did individuals in Nazi Germany and its occupied territories construct knowledge in discursive fields dominated by censorship, state propaganda, and authoritarian rhetoric? What might the brokerage, form, and interpretation of informal information reveal about practices of inclusion and exclusion, gender relations, ethnic categorizations, or the distribution of power in a given society? How might we conceive of the interactions between societies and subjectivities in conditions of mass violence and exception, or between construals of reality and individual/collective agency?

These questions will be explored in a multidisciplinary, transnational, and comparative perspective.

Eligibility

– M.A. or equivalent in History or a related field, with excellent academic achievements (M.A. diploma to be received no later than September 1, 2019);

– Expertise in 20th-century German and European history, including the Nazi period, the Holocaust, and the history of Poland;

– Good language skills in English and German;

– Proficiency in the Polish language (or the willingness to acquire such proficiency within the first year of employment);

– Willingness to work in a collaborative environment.

Benefits

As an employer, the institution will offer:

– Employment at one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to the history of National Socialism and its wider contexts;

– Participation in a dynamic international research team;

– Career development opportunities in cooperation with the IfZ’s programs for doctoral students, as well as with the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich;

– Generous research and conference travel allowance;

– Salary with health insurance and benefits according to Germany’s salary scale for civil service employees.

The positions will begin on October 1, 2019. Contracts are limited to three years, with the possibility of an additional six-month completion period of employment. Salaries will be paid according to the TV-L scale (for more information, see: http://oeffentlicher-dienst.info).

The Institute for Contemporary History strives for a gender balance in all of its employee groups. They therefore particularly encourage applications by women. Their aim is to further improve the compatibility between working and family life. In case of equal qualifications, applications by individuals with severe disabilities will be given preferential treatment.

How to apply?

– A cover letter specifying for which position you are applying, and demonstrating how you meet the criteria for the post;

– A full CV, including publications (if available);

– One letter of recommendation;

– A research proposal (1-2 pages) outlining your ideas for a doctoral research project pertaining to INFOCOM’s specific themes;

– Copies of your university transcripts.

Please send your application in one PDF file by e-mail to the Director of the Institute for Contemporary History, Prof. Dr. Andreas Wirsching (wirsching@ifz-muenchen.de).

Applications may be submitted in English or German.

For more information, please visit the official web page.