OPPORTUNITY: Doctoral research position at Max Planck institute for European Legal History

WHAT: Doctoral research position 

at the Max-Planck Institute for European Legal History, Frankfurt, within the International Max Planck Research School on Retaliation, Mediation and Punishment  (REMEP)

WHERE: Max-Planck Institute for European Legal History, Frankfurt

WHEN: deadline 1st November 2014, or later

This doctoral position is granted in the context of the interdisciplinary program of the International Max Planck Research School on Retaliation, Mediation, Punishment (IMPRS REMEP). The research school aims to attract young researchers educated in law (in this case in particular legal history) or historical sciences. 

The doctoral student will carry out his or her studies in Frankfurt. He or she will participate in the training program offered by the IMPRS REMEP and can make use of the facilities and infrastructure of the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History. The interdisciplinary curriculum requires participation in several joint seminars to be conducted together with the doctoral students who are affiliated with the IMPRS REMEP partner institutes in Halle/Saale and Freiburg. During these seminars, all students shall achieve cross-disciplinary knowledge in order to develop a common understanding of the overall research agenda and to be able to mutually understand and discuss their doctoral theses from the perspectives of all relevant disciplines. Working language of the training program is English. A cross-disciplinary dissertation project may be co-supervised by a member of the academic staff from a partner institute.

The research agenda of the REMEP has its focus on the fundamental question common to the disciplines of social sciences and humanities regarding how peace and social order are negotiated, constructed, maintained and re-gained. In particular, in the context of conflict and post-conflict societies, traditional approaches to reconciliation and mediation are being adopted, amending, and – partially – replacing, well-established systems of punishment mainly based on concepts of retaliation (see on this http://www.remep.mpg.de/)

The doctoral research project to be conducted in Frankfurt shall focus on basic questions in the field of legal history, from the 16th to the 20th century and should show a distinct interconnection to the current research focus areas and the research fields of the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History as outlined on the homepage of the institute (http://www.rg.mpg.de/en/forschungsprofil.cfm).

At the moment, we are developing a working group on the Legal History of Ibero-America, especially interested in questions of the evolution of the judicial system in Latin America with particular attention to the way the judicial system reacts on cultural diversity. Research projects in this field are especially welcome. They might concentrate on the current transformations in this system, integrating historical perspectives, such as the use of historical arguments by the actors, or be dedicated to historical research on these transformations in colonial period, or 19^th and 20^th century.

Proposals with the emphasis on a theoretical issue are welcome, too. Applicants are expected to develop their research questions independently, and to specify those in their proposal. Proposals with a comparative perspective and/or an inter-disciplinary approach will be considered with priority.

For more information please click here