Thu 17 Nov 2022

JOB: Student Assistant for the research project BEYONDREST

For its Berlin office and starting on February 1, 2023, the Forum is looking for a student assistant (f/m/d) for the research project BEYONDREST – Beyond Restitution: Heritage, (Dis)Possession and the Politics of Knowledge (10-20 hours per week, fixed-term contract until max. 30.06.2027)

Job offer PDF download

The Forum Transregionale Studien (Forum) is a platform for the international cooperation between scholars of different expertise and perspective on global issues. The Forum provides scope for exchange on questions of science policy, epistemology and ethics, and develops infrastructures and formats that allow transregional research ideas and projects to be tested, implemented and communicated. The Forum is committed to strengthening regional studies and to the principle of non-hierarchical research. It appoints scholars from around the world as fellows and engages in joint research programs and initiatives with partners from universities and research institutions in and outside Berlin. The Forum is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health, Long-Term Care and Gender Equality.

Beyond Restitution: Heritage, (Dis)Possession and the Politics of Knowledge (BEYONDREST) is an interdisciplinary research project, funded by the European Research Council (Grant Agreement No. 101045661). At the Forum, it is affiliated to the research program Europe in the Middle East – The Middle East in Europe (EUME). On the backdrop of ongoing debates to decolonialize museums, the interdisciplinary research project BEYONDREST takes restitution not as an endpoint but as the point of departure to explore what kind of loss dispossessed artworks engender, and how this loss has shaped the knowledge production on heritage. Geographically it focuses on the interlocution between Western Europe, the Near and Middle East, and North Africa, mapping relationships between people and “things” that have largely been left out of current restitution debates. The research is directed by Principal Investigator Dr. Banu Karaca. More information: https://www.eume-berlin.de/fellows/vita/banu-karaca-3.html

The student assistant’s tasks are to support the project and its PI, including the following main tasks:

  • Gathering of literature, media materials, and cultural policy papers
  • Compilation of annotated bibliographies
  • Preparation and organization of academic events
  • Updating and maintaining the project website
  • General office duties and travel organization

Requirements:

  • Student in Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences, Area Studies or Legal Studies, preferably with a focus on the Near and/or Middle East and an interest in the thematic focus of the research project, especially heritage and questions of restitution,
  • Strong organizational and communication skills (proven e.g. by student employment, volunteer work)
  • Fluency in English and/or German; Arabic (verbal and written) or French language skills are advantageous
  • Competency in handling common office software, as well as literature and research databases; willingness to become acquainted and work with content management systems and databases
  • Independent and reliable working method

Our institution aims to reflect society in its entirety. Therefore, we invite applications from individuals regardless of their cultural and social background, gender, age, religion, worldviews, disabilities, and sexual orientation.

In order to be employed, candidates must be enrolled (as MA or BA students) at a university or college. Working conditions and salary are based on the Labour Agreement for Student Employees (Tarifvertrag für studentische Beschäftigte) as of January 1, 2003 (TV Stud II) and on the Minimum Wage Law of the State of Berlin (Landesmindestlohngesetz) in its currently valid version.

Please send your application (cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, certificates, including a note on the preferred amount of weekly working hours) in German or English language in one PDF file via email to bewerbung(at)trafo-berlin.de until December 8, 2022. Job interviews are expected to take place in the week of December 12, 2022. Contact person is Dr. Banu Karaca, BEYONDREST’s Principal Investigator.

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