Job description

The interdisciplinary research training group brings together empirical cultural studies, social and cultural anthropology, interdisciplinary linguistics, literary studies (Romance studies, North American and postcolonial literatures, German medieval and early modern studies), law, human geography, political science, Eastern European history, philosophy, and religious studies.

We invite applications relating to one or more of the research areas listed.

About the Research Training Group
The Research Training Group “Contradiction Studies” examines the ways in which individuals, groups, institutions, and states navigate the concept of contradiction, particularly in relation to the prevalent demand for consistency (freedom from contradiction). It aims to develop novel forms and procedures for addressing the inherent contradictions of living together.

The starting point of the research group is the assumption that the common claim that contradictions should be resolved is often in conflict with the reality of everyday life which often involves the coexistence of unresolved contradictions. The research group aims to understand how and under what conditions contradictions emerge, when and where they become visible, and when they are tolerated, made invisible, or considered unacceptable. In this context, it is also important to explore the limits of the principle of non-contradiction.

Constellations of contradiction, avoidance of contradiction, inconsistencies and practices of contradiction are systematically researched and team-oriented ways in the research group from the perspectives of the humanities, social sciences, and legal studies, also in the context of postcolonial discussions on the cosmopolitanization of knowledge production.

We offer an intellectually challenging place for academic qualification and exchange to our fellows (f/m/d). We see ourselves as a laboratory for collaborative forms of academic work with a flat hierarchy. In addition to the principles of good scientific practice and an ethos of responsible research, the Research Training Group also supports the compatibility of academic work, family and care, as well as diversity of knowledge and perspectives on the basis of respect, mutual recognition, and cooperation. A core concern of the Research Training Group is to promote diversity and internationality.

The Research Training Group is part of the interdisciplinary academic institution “Worlds of Contradiction” (WOC) at the University of Bremen: https://www.woc.uni-bremen.de.

Further information on the research program and on the scholars involved in the Research Training Group, who are available as supervisors for qualification theses, can be found on the homepage of the Research Training Group at:
https://contradictionstudies.uni-bremen.de/en/the-research-training-group/qualification-program/

https://contradictionstudies.uni-bremen.de/en/faculty/faculty-en/

You can find the readable version of the funding application (in German only) under the following link: https://media.suub.uni-bremen.de/bitstream/elib/8014/3/GRK2686_ContradictionStudies_WorkingPaper_1-DE_SINGLE_PDFA.pdf

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for excellently qualified graduates (f/m/d) with doctoral projects that are related to one of the research areas integrated in the Research Training Group, and that are interdisciplinary in the context of Contradiction Studies. Empirical, theoretical, or mixed projects are possible; the RTG is open to new approaches in theory and methods.

Please use one or more of the following questions as a guide for your letter of motivation and for the outline of your dissertation project:

• How do people live with contradictions?
• In which social fields and with which effects are contradictions tied to the assumption of the necessity of their resolution? How can forms of negotiating diversity and incompatibilities be described that critically question the prevailing principle of avoiding contradictions?
• How can contradiction be questioned or decentered as part of the foundations of Western/Northern knowledge production?
• Where do you see yourself and your project in disciplinary terms, and what relevance do interdisciplinary perspectives have in your research?

Research Training Program
If you have successfully passed the selection process, you will take part in the structured doctoral program of the RTG, which will require your presence on site. The qualification concept aims to promote early academic independence, interdisciplinary exchange, and interdisciplinary cooperation; intensive professional support for your doctoral project is a matter of course. To this end, supervisory teams are formed and accompanying peer mentoring and a modularized training program are implemented.

A wide range of resources are available to support your doctoral project, including funding for international research stays, conference participation, and publications. In addition, the RTG offers you the opportunity to independently plan and implement academic events.

Tasks of the research fellow (f/m/d)

• Writing a dissertation in the thematic context of the program
• Participation in the modularized doctoral program
• Active participation in the central research colloquium at the RTG

Requirements

• Above-average academic degree (MA degree/university diploma) in one of the research areas involved in the college or a related field (certificate must be available at the time of recruitment)
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary work
• Submission of a high-quality exposé of the doctoral project
• High communicative and social skills
• English and/or German language skills at level B2 or higher

General Information

Open to unconventional approaches in research and teaching, the University of Bremen has retained its character as a place of short distances for people and ideas since its founding in 1971. With a broad range of subjects, we combine exceptional performance and innovative potential. As an ambitious research university, we stand for research-based learning approaches and a pronounced interdisciplinary orientation. We actively pursue international scientific cooperation in a spirit of global partnership.

Today, around 23,000 people learn, teach, research, and work on our international campus. In research and teaching, administration and operations, we are firmly committed to the goals of sustainability, climate justice, and climate neutrality. Our Bremen spirit is expressed in the courage to dare new things, in supportive cooperation, in respect and appreciation for each other. With our study and research profile and as part of the European YUFE network, we assume social responsibility in the region, in Europe, and in the world.

The university is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

As the University of Bremen intends to increase the proportion of female employees in science, women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applicants with disabilities will be given priority if their professional and personal qualifications are essentially the same.

Application documents
All application documents must be submitted in German or English.  For documents submitted in a third language, please also enclose a translation into German or English. To apply, please use the personnel form at: https://contradictionstudies.uni-bremen.de/en/application/.

Please submit the required documents listed there together with the personnel form, quoting the reference number A285-24, by 29 November 2024 (23:59 UTC+1 / CET) as a single PDF file with the following file name Application_GRK2686_2_[your surname] by unencrypted electronic mail to grk2686applicationprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de or by post to

University of Bremen
DFG Research Training Group 2686: Contradiction Studies
Dr. Christian Bär
Grazer Straße 2
28359 Bremen
Germany

The interviews with potential candidates are expected to take place online no later than January 2025 provided that the data protection protocols are duly observed.

We ask that you only send us copies of your application documents (not folders), as we cannot return them. They will be destroyed at the end of the selection process.

Any costs for the application procedure cannot be reimbursed.

If you have any questions about the RTG or the application procedure, please take a look at our website, in particular at the FAQ for applicants, at https://contradictionstudies.uni-bremen.de/en/application/faq-en/.

If you cannot find an answer to your question there, please contact the scientific coordinator of the Research Training Group, Dr. Christian Bär, grk2686protect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de.