Mecila

Junior Fellows 2020

4 Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers

Mecila (Maria Sibylla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America) is a joint project of the following German and Latin American research institutions: Freie Universität Berlin (coordination); Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Berlin); Universität zu Köln (Cologne); Universidade de São Paulo and Centro Brasileiro de Análise e  Planejamento (São Paulo); Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (Universidad Nacional de La Plata/Conicet, La Plata); and El Colegio de México (Mexico City).

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and established in São Paulo in April 2017, Mecila invites candidates to apply for its Junior Fellowships. Successful applicants are expected to participate in an international research network that focuses on the co-constitution of conviviality and inequality from an interdisciplinary perspective. Accordingly, the Centre addresses the processes of negotiation, legitimation, transformation, and representation of existing hierarchies as they take place in everyday interactions and within institutions. The Centre is open to proposals focused on
theoretical or empirical research as well as to all pertinent methods and sources. A general outline of the Centre’s research programme is available here.

Mecila will award 4 Junior Fellowships at the Mecila hub in São Paulo, Brazil, to excellent early-career scholars who have recently obtained their doctoral degree in the humanities or the social sciences. In 2020, the fellowships will  have a duration of 7 months (from 1 May to 30 November). The monthly stipend is above average, covering local living costs. This call is pending the BMBF’s final approval of the Centre.

Requirements

  • A PhD degree in the humanities or the social sciences obtained within the last 5 years from the date of application
  • A track record of training, research, and publications on Mecila’s subject areas
  • Excellent command of the English language
  • Ability to and interest in actively participating in an international, interdisciplinary, and collective research environment
  • An appropriately ambitious research project of relevance to Mecila that will enhance the applicant’s career prospects

Responsibilities

  • Develop an independent research project in the field of conviviality-inequality, making a contribution to the Research Areas of the project
  • Participate actively in the Centre’s activities (including the weekly colloquia) and engage in interdisciplinary exchange
  • Present and discuss scientific research results within and outside the Centre
  • Contribute at least one issue to Mecila’s Working Paper Series
  • Contribute at least one outreach activity (interview, blog contribution, video, public lecture, policy paper, etc.)
  • Undertake at least one relevant activity (e.g. a lecture) at El Colegio de México, Mexico City or at  Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (Universidad Nacional de La Plata/Conicet) in La Plata, Argentina

Application

Applicants must send the following documents in English, Spanish or Portuguese via e-mail in a single pdf-attachment no later than 15 January 2020 to the Coordination Office in São Paulo (mecila@cebrap.org.br):

  • Motivation letter (max. 500 words)
  • Research outline describing current research and envisaged contribution to the Centre (max. 1.500 words)
  • Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications
  • Two recent writing samples: journal article (published or forthcoming), book chapter or thesis chapter

 

Selection criteria

Applications from prospective Junior Fellows will be submitted to a peer-review process. The primary selection criterion is the applicant’s potential to yield original and excellent research results through a Mecila Junior Fellowship. The scientific merit of the project will be assessed in terms of its originality, the importance of the scientific questions addressed, and its relevance to Mecila. An appropriate methodology and a feasible timeframe will also be part of the assessment. Additionally, an adequate regional representation of Latin America and the Caribbean in each cohort of Fellows and their research topics will be taken into consideration. Final decisions will be taken by Mecila’s Executive Board, in close consultation with its Advisory Board and Ethics Committee, aiming at disciplinary and gender balance as well as intersectional equity.

For further inquiries regarding the fellowship or the application process, please contact Mecila’s Coordination Office in São Paulo via e-mail (mecila@cebrap.org.br) or telephone (+55 11 5574 0399, extension number 118).