The Department ‘Anthropology of Politics and Governance’ at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Saale) is offering a postdoc position (m/f/d). The Department ‘Anthropology of Politics and Governance’ provides a stimulating environment for cutting-edge anthropological research and the training of research students. It brings together scholars using the tools and techniques of anthropology to explore the political arrangements, governance initiatives, and social movements that organise the contemporary world and animate future possibilities.
The Department's research responds to the sense that we live in critical times of geopolitical re-ordering, climate uncertainty, biodiversity loss, and major technological transformation. Reactions to these and other challenges are diverse, ranging from spectacular action and vocal protest, to attempts to reassert control through new techniques of governance, to transformative engagement at the margins of the mainstream. We examine how social action for a better life emerges within specific lifeworlds, and how people's situated action addresses global concerns and prefigures new political worlds. We focus on the key issues of transforming bodies, transforming technologies, and transforming ecologies.
Expected tasks:
For this position, the Institute is inviting applications of outstanding scholars who propose an innovative project that is relevant to the Department’s research profile, e.g. in fields such as anthropology of ecology or climate, anthropology of the body or health, anthropology of digital technology or AI.
The successful candidate will be expected to:
Carry out their own primary research, aiming at impactful publications in the field of anthropology
Actively participate in departmental activities and discussions
Contribute to the Department’s outreach activities
Contact
Please submit your application electronically by 30 June 2026 following the link for vacancies on our homepage (under ‘Career’), or by going directly to the online application form using the link below.
CV, including list of publications
summary of doctoral thesis (1-2 pages)
project proposal (2000 words) that demonstrates relevance to the Department’s research
publication plan
copies of university degrees
names and contact information for two referees
Informal enquiries concerning the position may be directed to office.rao@eth.mpg.de
For details, visit https://recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/526/Description/1