[Air-L] Postdoc and PhD Positions at LMU Munich

[sahana udupa]

*Postdoc and PhD positions at LMU Munich *

*beginning January 2018*

*new media political cultures, India, diaspora*

Ludwig Maximilian University Munich is one of Europe’s leading research
universities with more than 500 years of tradition.



ERC Project ONLINERPOL hosted at LMU Munich invites applications for fully
funded




*one postdoctoral and two doctoral positions *



ONLINERPOL (www.fordigitaldignity.com) is a five year research project
(2017-22) on political cultures of new media in India and the diaspora. The
project is funded by the European Research Council Starting Grant.



ONLINERPOL explores new media practices in India and the diaspora in
Europe, and examines the relationship between expanding Internet media and
the politics of national belonging mediated by secular-religious-liberal
fissures. The project is carried out by a core team of researchers based at
the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, in cooperation with the
Department of Communication and Media Research, LMU Munich, and a global
network of collaborators.



We seek energetic and committed applicants who can design projects on new
media and political cultures, and creatively connect with the objectives of
ONLINERPOL.



*PhD positions (3.5 years)*



*PhD position 1:*

*Ethnography of online media, political cultures and Hindu identities among
the Indian diaspora in the UK and Germany*



The project will carry out an ethnographic study of online practices and
narratives around national belonging/Hindu nationalism among the Indian
diaspora in the UK and Germany. The project will closely follow particular
social media sites and user groups (Facebook/Twitter or website/online
discussion group).



*PhD position 2: *

*Ethnography of online meda, poltiical cultures and Muslim identities among
the Indian diaspora in the UK and Germany*



The project will carry out an ethnographic study of online practices,
Muslim identities and narratives of national belonging among the Indian
diaspora in the UK and Germany. The project will closely follow particular
social media sites and user groups (Facebook/Twitter or website/online
discussion group).



The broad objective of the doctoral positions is to understand the dynamics
of online use cultures as they mediate diapora experiences and political
cultures of national belonging, and how they bring about new, real-time
connections between diasporic locations and homeland politics. In both the
projects, ethnographic fielwork among online users will be supplmented with
an analysis of the design and organization of sampled Facebook groups,
Twitter handles or websites, and the social texts and activities they have
generated.



Candidates with a background in anthropology, media and communication
studies, or cultural studies with regional interest in South Asia are
invited to apply.  PhD researchers will participate in specially designed
reading courses on anthropology of digital media; media and religion; and
digital media activism, with opportunities to enrol for other courses at
the university.  They will also have an opportunity to assist/offer
undergraduate courses on media anthropology. Candidates will take part in
various project related activities, including workshops, conferences and
social media contributions.



Doctoral positions are funded (TVL E13 50%) for 3.5 years. The project will
cover fieldwork expenses and participation in international conferences.



*Postdoctoral position (2 years)*

*New media and political Islam in India*



The study will map and analyze online media engagaemets of a major
organization for political Islam in India (for eg., *Jamaat-i-Islami*)
using ethnographic techniques and discourse anlaysis. How does the
organization engage, organize and regulate its online presence? How does it
engage online debates on national belonging and what are the implications
for historically configured politics of religious difference? How is
authority affirmed and reconfigured in light of the emerging online Muslim
publics?



Candidates with a background in anthropology, media and communication
studies, cultural studies, or Islamic studies with regional interest in
South Asia are invited to apply. The posdoctoral researcher is invited to
co-design and co-teach the courses on media and religion, and digital
ethnography, and actively participate in planning and organizing project
related offline and online activities.



Postdoctoral position is contracted with TVL E13 100% salary for 2 years.
All fieldwork expenses will be covered, and participation in international
conferences will be fully funded.



****

Successful applicants are expected to begin on or by *1 January 2018*.



Proficiency in English is needed. Net savviness is highly desired.



Successful candidates will be part of an exciting multidisciplinary
conversation on new media, with opportunties to partner with the core
research team based in Munich and a global network of collaborators.



*Our offer*



The university is centrally located in Munich and can be reached very
easily by public transport. We offer a stimating work atmosphere with
opportunities for further education and growth. Differently abled people
are given a priority.



Send your application (cover letter, 2 page proposal with a clear research
plan and timeline, updated CV, 2 writing samples , names of two referees
and copies of degree certificates  as a single pdf) by email to
ONLINERPOL at ethnologie.lmu.de with the subject line ˊApplication for
doctoral/postdoctoral position ONLINERPOLˊ or by post to



Prof. Dr. Sahana Udupa

Professor of Media Anthropology

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Ludwig Maximilian University

Oettingenstr. 67

D-80538 Munich

Telefon

+49 (0)89 2180-9614 <+49%2089%2021809614>



*Deadline for submission: 31 August 2017.  *


Queries may be addressed to onlinerpol at ethnologie.lmu.de
<sahana.udupa at lmu.de>. For more on the project  visit
www.fordigitaldignity.com