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Call for Applications Theme: Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation Type: Post-Doctoral and Senior Fellowships Institution: Centre for Global Cooperation Research, University of Duisburg-Essen Location: Duisburg (Germany) Deadline: 31.8.2012 __________________________________________________ Käte-Hamburger-Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research (GCR21) at the University of Duisburg-Essen offers fellowships in Research Unit "Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation". GCR21 offers fellowships at three levels: Selected applicants with a completed Ph.D. will work as Postdocs. Applicants with at least three years of postdoc experience and some prior super-vising responsibilities may be employed as Fellows. Associate and Full Professors as well as other more senior scholars may be offered a place as Senior Fellows. Fellows join the Centre in November 2012 and stay for one year. A shorter research stay of six months as well as a later commencement of the fellowship is possible. The Fellowship entails working space in fully equipped offices and a competitive stipend commensurate with the applicant’s level of professional experience. Fellows are expected to work at the Centre and to take residence in the region. We will be happy to assist fellows in their search for an appropriate apartment. The Centre: The Centre for Global Cooperation Research is an independent research institution of the University of Duisburg-Essen. It cooperates closely with the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) in Duisburg, the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen, and the German Development Institute/ Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) in Bonn. Prof. Tobias Debiel (INEF), Prof. Claus Leggewie (KWI), and Prof. Dirk Messner (DIE) are co-directors of the Centre. The Centre is located at Duisburg’s Inner Harbour, which combines industrial heritage with modern office buildings and a vibrant urban culture. Close to the city centre, the Duisburg Campus with the Social Science Department and INEF is within short reach. The participation of the KWI facilitates the coupling with the neighbouring city of Essen, the lead city during the Ruhr area’s time as Europe’s Cultural Metropolis in 2010. Through the DIE, the Centre is also represented in the UN City of Bonn with its tight network of international institutions. The Centre focuses on the cultural premises and dynamics of emergent governance structures in current world society and analyses the possibilities for global cooperation. Its four Research Units focus on (1) The (Im)Possibility of Cooperation, (2) Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation, (3) Global Governance Revisited, and (4) Paradoxes and Perspectives of Democratisation. The Centre offers a place for reflection and exchange for researchers from the social sciences, the natural sciences, and the humanities, as well as for selected practitioners from all regions of the world. Colloquia and other research meetings form an essential part of the Centre. Fellows are invited to participate and contribute. For more information, visit our website at http://www.gcr21.org Research Unit "Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation" The Research Unit "Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation" attempts to understand why and how cultural and religious differences may facilitate or obstruct global cooperation. In the early 20th century, prominent thinkers such as Max Weber ascribed religious or cultural differences a prominent place in their modernisation theories. In his provocative study The Clash of Civilization and the Remaking of World Order (1996), Samuel Huntington even anticipates the end of the era of ideological conflicts, claiming that future conflicts will inherently be shaped by a few dominant cultures. In other words, terms and languages of global cooperation are entangled with different concepts of culture, and these concepts carry specific ideological implications (e.g. the ‘Western’ narrative, the postcolonial perspective). One of the goals of the Unit is to disentangle ‘culture’ from those ideological connotations by critically examining established terms and narratives of cooperation. An interdisciplinary approach that considers anthropological, sociological, and historical perspectives as well as methodologies of the political and natural sciences will help us analyse the limits of established forms of cooperation. This approach might lead to new ideas for different and, possibly, even improved practices of cooperation. For a better understanding of flaws and successes of global cooperation, Unit "Global Cultural Conflicts and Transcultural Cooperation" analyses the following questions: How can we define culture, and what are its concrete ideological and transnational implications for modalities of global and regional cooperation? How do religious and cultural differences influence the languages, patterns and terms of cooperation? And: What is the concrete impact of political agents, transnational organisations, local interest groups and other ‘global players’ on practices of cooperation? Priority will be given to applicants who could make a tangible contribution in one of the following areas: 1. CULTURES OF GLOBAL COOPERATION How do different cultures speak about cooperation? One of the aims of the Unit is to understand languages and terms of cooperation on a global scale. Research projects may focus on the semantics and narratives of cooperation in different cultures and societies. We are also interested in projects that focus on ‘new’ forms and products of cooperation (e.g. films, literary texts). 2. THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL, SYMBOLICAL AND POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE GIFT FOLLOWING THE THEORETICAL CONCEPT developed by Marcel Mauss in his Essai sur le don, 1925. According to Mauss giving can be understood as an act that creates reciprocity between two persons and sometimes even groups. What are the implications of such acts of giving? Can we transfer this model to solve current world problems (e.g. financial crisis)? Research projects may focus on theoretical, historical as well current implications of Mauss’ concept. 3. GLOBAL AID CULTURES, RELIGION AND THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF HUMANITARIANISM What is the major impulse of human aid and how can we define its origins? In the last 200 years aid and the act of giving aid has become an essential criterion to define humanity. Global players – nations, religious organisations, NGOs – developed programmes to improve the condition of humanity. Research projects may focus on the implications of such programmes on a global as well as local level. Applications (in English language) should contain a cover letter, a CV, a list of publications, and a short presentation of the proposed research programme (3-5 pages). Please indicate at which level (Postdoc, Fellow, Senior Fellow) you wish to apply, state for which period you would like to come and submit your application in one pdf file. Applications should be addressed to the Head of Research Unit: PD Dr. Alexandra Przyrembel ([email protected] ) and have "Fellowship Application: Global Cultural Conflicts" as the subject heading. The deadline for application is 31st August 2012. Contact: PD Dr. Alexandra Przyrembel Centre for Global Cooperation Research University of Duisburg-Essen Germany Email: [email protected] Web: http://inef.uni-due.de/khk/index.php?article_id=63 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
