Research Associate (Doctoral candidate)
At the School of Humanities, Department of Romance Studies,
Chair of Spanish and French Literary Studies,
as part of the DFG-funded sub-project “Cinematic communities: Cinema as Transcultural Public Sphere
in Mexican Exile”
a position is available starting on April 1, 2025, limited up to 4 years,
for a
Research Associate (Doctoral Candidate) with 65% of the standard working hours. Salary Scale: E 13 TV-L
Within the framework of the DFG Research Unit FOR 5700/1 "TransExile: Negotiations of Aesthetics and Community in Post-Revolutionary Mexico", 6 sub-projects examine the networks between exiles of various origins and Mexican artists, writers and intellectuals in context, in particular the diverse artistic activities and productions that characterize this field. The interdisciplinary research group considers Mexico as an exemplary space of contact and a hub of widely ramified networks. In it cooperate researchers from literary and cultural studies (Romance studies, Latin American studies, German studies, CulturaI Anthropology and Art History) from the universities of Hannover, Hamburg, Rostock, Bonn, Lüneburg, Tübingen and Wuppertal. The sub-project “Cinematic communities:
Cinema as Transcultural Public Sphere in Mexican Exile” is based in the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies at the University of Wuppertal. Using a combination of computational philology and hermeneutic methods, it examines how (re)conceptualizations of communities and aesthetics related to cinema emerged in Mexican film magazines from the 1930s to the 1960s, with the involvement of exiled persons.
Professional and personal recruitment requirements:
- Completed university degree (Master’s or comparable) in Spanish, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies or Film Studies with a final grade of 2.0 or better, thesis with a grade of 1.7 or better (German grades go from 1.0 – distinction – to 4.0 – pass)
- Proof of very good knowledge of Spanish (C1 or better)
- Proof of very good knowledge of German or English (C1 or better)
- Familiarity with computer philological methods (knowledge graphs, network analysis)
- Familiarity with narrative research
- Open-mindedness for interdisciplinary work
Tasks and requirements:
- Writing a dissertation on the topic of the sub-project,
- Supervision of the digitalisation and annotation of the text corpus by the project assistants,
- Design of a serious game on the topic of the research group that can communicate research results to the public,
- Designing, together with colleagues from the research unit, the research coordination, the organisation of sub-project-related conferences and workshops, in particular the researchers’ meetings, and the joint preparation of funding applications,
- Participation in the events and in the conception and production of joint publications of the sub- project and the research unit,
- Contributing to the general tasks and structures of the research unit and the School of Humanities
During the current semester, the position holder is expected to be present in Wuppertal. They must be available for regular work meetings in Wuppertal and be prepared to participate in a structured research programme (Germany-wide) and to spend time abroad in Mexico. Travel and material allowances as well as family and childcare allowances will be awarded in accordance with DFG guidelines. Applications from abroad are especially welcome.
This is a qualification position in the sense of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG), which serves to support a doctoral program. The position is temporary for the duration of the doctoral process, but initially up to 4 years. An extension for the completion of the doctorate is possible within the time limits of the WissZeitVG.
Prof Dr Matei Chihaia (chihaia@uni-wuppertal.de) will be happy to answer any questions about the position.
Reference number: 25019
Applications (including a cover letter, CV, proof of successful completion of studies, work references, and, if applicable, proof of a disability as a PDF file) can only be submitted via the online portal of the University of Wuppertal: https://stellenausschreibungen.uni-wuppertal.de. Incomplete applications cannot be considered!
The contact person for the cover letter is Prof. Dr. Matei Chihaia.
Applications from individuals of any gender, as well as from persons with disabilities and those with equivalent status, are welcome. Women will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the North Rhine-Westphalia State Equal Opportunities Act (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz NRW), unless there are overriding reasons in favor of another applicant. The rights of persons with disabilities to preferential treatment in cases of equal qualification remain unaffected.
Applications from persons of any gender and persons with disabilities as well as persons with an equivalent status are highly welcome. In accordance with the Gender Equality Act of North Rhine- Westphalia women will be given preferential consideration unless there are compelling reasons in favour of an applicant who is not female. The same applies to applications from disabled persons, who will be given preference in the case of equal suitability.