Tag Archives: Germany

On the Circulation of Knowledge between Europe and the Global South

Wiebke Keim, from Institut für Soziologie (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg) announces a new research project around Europe’s relation to the Global South:

We are happy to announce the launch of our international project ‘Universality and the Acceptance Potential of Social Science Knowledge: On the Circulation of Knowledge between Europe and the Global South’. Four interconnected research projects are going to be carried out in the next four years and at same time we will be supporting and complementing one another.

Our studies focus on the following ambivalent phenomenon: on the one hand, the European research area and its achievements still enjoy a high standing outside of Europe. On the other hand, the worldwide influence of the European theoretical tradition is increasingly being perceived as dominant, and European social science’s claim to universality is, as a result, seen as overbearing and presumptuous. By investigating this field of tension, we aim to obtain innovative ideas for the future positioning of the European scholarly community and its successful activity within the internationalized field of social sciences.

This endeavour has been made possible above all through the funding of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (German: BMBF) within the ‘Free Space for the Humanities’ funding initiative on the subject of ‘Europe Viewed from the Outside’. The Institute of Sociology at the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg has agreed to act as a home for our project. Our international advisory board will support us scientifically: Prof. Hermann Schwengel and Prof. Sabine Dabringhaus from the University of Freiburg, Prof. Jìmí O. Adésínà of Rhodes University as well as Prof. Ari Sitas from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Assoc. Prof. Syed Farid Alatas from the National University of Singapore, Prof. Monica Budowski from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ecevit from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey, Dr. Terry Shinn from the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne/CNRS and Dr. Roland Waast from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) - Ex ORSTOM in France. In addition, at present four researchers are associated to the project: Dr. Miriam Nandi (English studies), Dr. Paruedee Nguitragool (Political Science) und Barbara Riedel (M.A., Social Anthropology) from the University of Freiburg, as well as Dr. Sabine Ammon (Philosophy and Architecture) from the Technical University Berlin. Twelve Fellows from around the world are also going to work with us here in Freiburg, each for several months, in order to promote the international and interdisciplinary scholarly exchange of our project. We will be welcoming our fellows to Freiburg beginning in April 2011.

Europe, Notice

Positions available with ‘The circulation of knowledge between Europe and the global South’

admin Leave a comment

The research project “Universality and potentials of acceptance of social scientific knowledge. The circulation of knowledge between Europe and the global South” at Freiburg University, Germany, invites applications for the following positions

1 x 75% post-doctoral position
1 x 50% doctoral position
1 x 50% position for administrative support to the project management

The project shall be funded through the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) initiative “Freedom for Research in the Humanities”, under the topic “Europe seen from the outside”. The project aims at building a junior research group and will be located at the Global Studies Program of the Sociology Institute at Freiburg University

Research Positions (Post Doctoral and Doctoral)

Both research positions (75% post-doctoral and 50% doctoral) shall each deal with one sub-project of the overall project. Researchers are expected to acquire academic qualifications (PhD or qualifications relevant to pursue an academic career in the post-doc-phase).

Applications should include a short research proposal. In order to prepare proposals, more detailed information on the overall project and on the sub-projects in which positions are opened are available with the project coordinator (contact see below). Very good oral and written competency in English are a requirement, competency in further languages is an advantage. Experience in the international scholarly community as well as in team work are an advantage.

Administrative Position

This position has been opened for the administrative support of the project leader. This comprises administrative tasks, support of the project leader with respect to the organisation of project activities such as conferences or publication projects, organisation of the stays of international fellows to the project in Freiburg.

Application details

All positions are limited to the duration of the project for four years. The project starts on 01.07.2010 subject to the provision of funds. Application deadline is 20.01.2010. The university aims at increasing the participation of women and explicitly encourages qualified women to apply.

For contact details, the official advertisement (in German) is to be found on the website of Freiburg University: research positions and the administrative position.