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, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (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 cordially invites one postdoctoral scholar affiliated to an institution in Germany from any discipline to apply for its Junior Fellowship. Successful applicants are expected to participate in a plural international research network that focuses on the co-constitution of conviviality and inequality from interdisciplinary perspectives. 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 encourages proposals focused on theoretical and/or empirical research using a wide range of methods and sources. A general outline of the Centre’s research programme is available on our website.

Mecila will award 3 Fellowships for excellent early-career scholars who have obtained their doctoral degree in the humanities or social sciences within the last five years. There are three modalities, each with their own speificifies: 1 Junior Fellowship; 1 Junior Thematic Fellowshop (with the broad topic “Relationalities”, described on our website); 1 Urban Narratives Fellowship (which also proposes the organization of a Workshop of knowledge transfer between artists/activists and the scientific community). The duration of the Fellowships vary from 3 to 9 months (during the period from 1 March and 30 November 2025). Fellows are expected to commit full-time to their proposed research activities at the Centre. For the duration of the Fellowship, fellows will normally receive a monthly allowance, depending on individual circumstances and taking other forms of income before and during the fellowship into account.

Requirements

A PhD degree in the humanities or social sciences obtained within the last 5 years from the date of application
That at the time of application you are based at an institution in Germany, or that your last affiliation has been to an institution in Germany
A track record of training, research, and /or publications in Mecila’s subject areas
Excellent command of the English language by the time the Fellowship begins
Ability to and interest in actively engaging in and creating an intellectual community in a diverse international and interdisciplinary research environment
An ambitious and innovative research project of relevance to Mecila that will enhance the applicant’s career prospects

Application

Applicants must fill in the Application Form linked below and send the following documents in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, using the link provided on the Form, in a single pdf-attachment no later than 8 December 2024:

Motivation letter (max. 500 words)
Research outline describing current research and envisioned
contribution to the Centre (max. 1.500 words)
Abstract (max. 150 words)
Keywords (max. 5)
Work plan detailing how the proposed project will be realized during the stay at the Centre
Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications
Two recent writing samples: journal article (published or forthcoming), book chapter, or thesis chapter

To access the Application Form, please use the following link: https://uni.koeln/G3VE7

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 academic 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 time frame will also be part of the assessment. 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 and an adequate regional representation. We aim to inform the applicants of the selection results by 10 January 2025.

For detailed information about the Responsabilities and more detailed information on the Fellowships, please, consulte each individual Call on our website.

For further inquiries regarding the Fellowship or the application process, please refer to our FAQ available at Mecila’s website. In case of further questions please contact Mecila’s Coordination Office in São Paulo via e-mail (mecila@cebrap.org.br).

By applying to this Fellowship you consent that we use the personal information you provide for the Fellowship process.