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Research assistant in the DFG project “Cultural Anthropology, Indigenism and Local Materialities in the Context of Exile”
2025-03-11
Leuphana University Lüneburg is a humanistic, sustainable and action-oriented university that stands for innovation in education and science. Methodological diversity, interdisciplinary collaboration, transdisciplinary cooperation with practitioners and an overall dynamic development characterize its research profile in the core topics of education, culture, management/technology, sustainability and state. Its international study model, with the Leuphana College, the Leuphana Graduate School and the Leuphana Professional School, is unique in Germany and has received numerous awards.
As part of the German Research Foundation (DFG) research group “TransExil: Negotiations of Aesthetics and Community in Post-Revolutionary Mexico,” six subprojects are investigating the connections between exiles from different backgrounds and Mexican artists, writers, and intellectuals, particularly the diverse artistic activities and productions that shape this field. The interdisciplinary research group regards Mexico as an exemplary contact zone and hub of wider networks. Literary and cultural studies scholars, anthropologists and art scholars from the universities of Hannover, Hamburg, Rostock, Bonn, Wuppertal, Tübingen and Lüneburg are cooperating in the project.
As part of the subproject, the university is seeking to hire at the earliest opportunity a responsible, motivated and committed individual as a
Research assistant
in the DFG project “Cultural Anthropology, Indigenism and Local Materialities in the Context of Exile”
(EG 13 TV-L, 65%, fixed-term for a period of four years)
The sub-project “Cultural Anthropology, Indigenism and Local Materialities in the Context of Exile”, led by Prof.in in Dr.in Jordan Troeller, Junior Professor of Art History and Aesthetic Practice, is based at the Institute for Art, Music and their Mediation (IKMV). The subproject focuses on Hannes Meyer and Lena Meyer-Bergner from the Bauhaus, who came to Mexico in 1938, and Anni and Josef Albers (Bauhaus, then Black Mountain College), who migrated to the United States in 1933 and regularly visited Mexico from the late 1930s until the 1950s. In addition, two artists from the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP) are examined, namely the African-American graphic designer and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett and the photographer Mariana Yampolsky. The subproject investigates, from the perspective of the aesthetic practice of these exiles, among other things, how transnational migratory movements in post-revolutionary Mexico led to new conceptualizations, imaginations, practices, and spaces of community and aesthetics under the conditions of exile.
The successful candidate will further develop an independent research question and conduct research within the framework of the subproject in order to reconstruct networks between Caribbean, Central American, and European exiles and Mexican intellectuals in (post)revolutionary Mexico (1920-1960) together with the subproject director and German and Latin American cooperation partners. The research will focus on converging aestheticizations of indigenism and local materialities, (re)conceptualizations of community designs, and questions of transmedial and transcultural artistic articulations of anthropological knowledge.
During the lecture period, the successful candidate is expected to be present at the Lüneburg site part of the time. They must be available for regular work meetings in Lüneburg, Hamburg and Hannover and be prepared to participate in a structured research program (throughout Germany) as well as to travel abroad, including to Mexico. Travel and material cost allowances as well as family and childcare allowances are awarded in accordance with the DFG's guidelines. Applications from abroad are expressly encouraged.
Personal interviews in Lüneburg are currently planned for June 12 and 13, 2025.
Your tasks:
- Your own scientific further qualification with the aim of obtaining a doctorate
- Participation in the organization of project-related workshops and events
- Willingness to take on small organizational tasks within the research project (research, participation in publication projects, etc.)
- Regular, active participation in the activities of the research project
Your profile
- A university degree (Master's, MFA or equivalent) in art, art history, cultural studies, comparative literature or a related field
- A risk-taking, ambitious and curious personality who is willing to accept constructive criticism and feedback, as well as openness and enjoyment in participating in scientific debate
- An independent yet team-oriented approach to work with good time management
- Initial experience in publishing is desirable but not essential
- Proficiency in Spanish and German, as well as any other language skills required for your research project
Our offer:
- Further academic qualification in the context of participating in a renowned international research project;
- an inspiring work environment in an interdisciplinary, international research team as part of a university community of researchers, teachers, students, and technical and administrative staff;
- a workplace at one of the most beautiful university locations in Germany, at a real campus university with an internationally acclaimed central building by Daniel Libeskind and the directly adjacent Wilschenbruch nature reserve,
- a high level of job security as part of the public sector,
- an additional company pension plan through the Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder (VBL),
- flexible and family-friendly working hours within a flexitime frame from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
- flexible and family-friendly options for switching between on-site work and mobile work,
- a comprehensive internal and external training program,
- a wide range of sports sponsored by the university that can be taken advantage of for one hour per week during working hours to promote the health of employees,
- university-sponsored gastronomic lunch and dinner offers in the cafeteria,
- university-sponsored Deutschland-Ticket as a job ticket.
Your application:
If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Prof. Troeller (jordan.troeller@leuphana.de).
Leuphana University Lüneburg promotes professional gender equality and heterogeneity among its members. Applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preferential consideration if their qualifications are the same. We look forward to receiving your application.
Please note our data protection information for applicants.
Please submit the following documents in German or English:
- Cover letter
- Research proposal (max. 5 pages, double-spaced)
- Personal statement (max. 2 pages, double-spaced)
- A curriculum vitae (CV) in table form including a list of publications and teaching experience (if applicable), with the names, institutional affiliations, and contact information of 3 references
- Transcripts, especially of university degrees
In your research proposal, please define 1) your topic, including the circumstances that make further research necessary; 2) your research question; 3) the method you would like to apply; 4) a research plan (which archives, works of art, interviews, literature, etc. you will examine, especially in Mexico); financial support for research trips is available; and 5) a timetable for the implementation of the project (please allow 3 years).
The personal statement, on the other hand, should explain experiences - especially general life experiences - that have led you to the decision to pursue a doctorate. What makes you stand out as a candidate? Do you have a relationship to your research topic that goes beyond your academic interest? This statement should not repeat any information from your cover letter.
We look forward to receiving your application. Please send it (without a photo) by May 11, 2025 electronically (combined in a PDF file) or by post to:
Leuphana University Lüneburg
Personnel and Legal Affairs / Application Management
Keyword: TransExil
Universitätsallee 1
21335 Lüneburg
jobs@leuphana.de
