Two PhD positions in Social and Cultural Anthropology: “Globalisation,
Landscape Fragmentation and Resilience in East African Landscapes”
At the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne
Deadline for applications is June 23rd, 2013
The department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne
The overall project focus is on the temporal, spatial and social
dynamics of human-landscape interaction in East Africa over the last millennia,
with particular reference to the Ewaso
Basin and Eastern Rift Valley in
central Kenya , and the
Pangani Basin & Amboseli catchment in north-eastern Tanzania & south-eastern Kenya Northern Kenya ’s Laikipiak
District. Both areas cover a range of land use patterns (from highly
commoditized to subsistence orientated), social-ecological histories (from
communal ‘tribal reservation’ to freehold farmland) and are currently shaped by
various forms of conflict and cooperation. In both areas the social relations
are shaped by a high degree of inter-regional mobility. A core consideration of
the project will be on how actors negotiate access to and forms of land use in
a situation shaped by intense cross-scale dynamics, co-management of local,
national and international actors, the ethnicization of resource conflicts and
increasing social inequality.
PhD-candidates in this multi-partner project will be part of a network
of early stage researchers and senior researchers involving several European
and African universities and institutions (e.g. University of Uppsala,
University of York, University of
Cologne, Ghent University, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, Paris, Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, University of Dar es Salaam) as well as industry
partners. A number of doctoral courses and training events will be organised
within the project.
Each position will be attached to one of the research projects (A or B)
described below. Positions are expected to commence 1 September 2013, provided
that the required funding is available. Applicants must clearly state which
project they are primarily interested in. Both positions will include several
months of fieldwork in relatively remote rural locations in Kenya and Tanzania
For further information, please
contact: Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig, Institute for
Social and Cultural Anthropology, University
of Cologne , 50923 Cologne
General conditions and requirements
Research at the department follows two research themes (for further information see the department’s web page). The announced positions are most closely related to the research theme on Historical Geography and Landscape Research.
Applicants must be, at the time of recruitment by the host
organization, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research
careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree. According to the
Marie-Curie Initial Training Network guideline a Monthly Living and Mobility
Allowance will be paid salary will be paid according to the Marie-Curie Initial
Training Network guidelines.
The duration of employment as PhD candidate
corresponds to four years of PhD education, with some prolongation to accommodate
for a share of teaching and other duties at the department. In addition to the
standard evaluation criteria, the applicant’s merits in relation to the specific
project themes presented below will be given weight. The doctoral thesis will be written in English
and good skills in English are thus required.
Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity
(work, studies, etc) in the country of their prospective host organization for more than 12 months in
the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.
Who is eligible to apply?
The applicant is required to fulfil
the general eligibility requirement for Phd studies (a master or ”magister”
exam). Additionally, the applicant should fulfil the special eligibility
requirement i.e. to have achieved pass grades in at least 60 course points in
the discipline of social anthropology or in an equivalent discipline (e.g.
development studies, environmental change and management, related
interdisciplinary courses on social-ecological relations etc). Applications
will be assessed based on the following criteria: - practical experience and academic background of relevance for the project, e.g. interview based fieldwork in
- knowledge of scientific theory and method of relevance to the research projects
- analytical ability and skills in writing, as demonstrated by a scientific report, paper or degree project thesis
- the applicants potential to contribute to and utilise the research environment at the department
- the applicants personal references
How do I apply?
A complete application should arrive
at the following address no later than 23rd June, 2013: Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig
Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology
University of Cologne
50923 Cologne
Germany
Or, as one pdf-file by email to: michael.bollig@uni-koeln.de
The application must include the
following documentation:
• Curriculum Vitae• A short (1-2 pages) personal presentation (letter of intent) that explain why you are interested in studying for a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology, which project(s) you are interested in, why you are interested in this specific research task and what skills you can bring to the project(s)
• Verified copies of education certificates supporting general and special admission requirements (e.g. Marie Curie mobility requirements) to the PhD student programme
• One example of an independently written paper or thesis authored by the applicant within the framework of his/her bachelor or masters level university education (if no thesis or paper is submitted your application will not be evaluated)
• References from two university lecturers or professors (with phone numbers and email addresses) who have taught the applicant and who have a good knowledge of the applicant’s academic achievements
• Ancillary documentation that the applicant wishes to be taken into consideration (e.g. other
reference letters).
Further information on the web:
- - Institute for Social Anthropology (web-site)
Project A: Changing patterns of land use between town and
hinterland: the expansion of horticultural industry, commoditized food
production and natural-resource harvesting for national and global markets
The ESR recruited to this project will study
changing livelihood patterns in three settlements along the
Project B: Land
fragmentation in the Ewaso Catchment/Laikipia Plateau
Focusing on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya, this
project’s rationale derives from the observation that the pressure of
decentralization, increasing mobility, and newly instituted mechanisms of
communal management, is breaking up formerly more homogenous land use patterns.
Where once private and communal farms and protected zones were clearly juxtaposed,
there are now manifold types of land resource property, access rights and
administration from commercial farms, conservancies constituted by private
farms, and communal land with informal private titling, to private and
state-owned conservation areas. This fragmentation renders any attempt at institutionalized
regulation problematic and challenging. However, loose networks of local
stakeholders increasingly cross-cut the boundaries of this fragmented land-use
system to manage resources profitably and/or sustainably, occasionally partnering
with governmental institutions but also often by-passing them. The ESR
undertaking this project will study this land-use fragmentation across the
Laikipia Plateau using published, archival and remote-sensing data sources,
formal and informal interviews with the various stakeholders, and analysis of current
attempts to negotiate new forms of tenure adapted to the changed social,
economic and environmental contexts.
For further information, please contact: Prof. M.
Bollig, Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologe
