Call for applications: Postdoctoral Position for Indigenous Knowledge Initiative

18 enero 2017

Call for applications – Postdoctoral Position

Social Practices Cluster, CIGIDEN / Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Indigenous Knowledge Initiative

The Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN, www.cigiden.cl) is a multidisciplinary research center funded by CONICYT and located in Santiago, Chile. It brings together four universities and researchers from diverse fields (e.g., Engineering, Sociology, Anthropology, Earth Sciences, Urban Studies, and Psychology). The aim of CIGIDEN is to produce excellence-level and interdisciplinary research on all aspects of the disaster cycle (preparedness, response, participation, recovery, and mitigation) and to mitigate disaster impacts by building more resilient communities.

The Center is hosted by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (www.uc.cl), ranked second in Latin America by the 2015 QS international ranking and third by the Times Higher Education Latin America University Ranking 2017.

 

IKI – Indigenous Knowledge Initiative

The project Indigenous Knowledge Initiative (IKI) sits within CIGIDEN Research Line 4 (RL4), Disaster Culture and Risk Governance. IKI aims at studying how ancestral practices and modes of knowing and dwelling among Chilean indigenous communities render knowable disasters and environmental change. IKI is interested in understanding how these practices shape particular human-nature entanglements and ways of sensing for, preparing against, and responding to natural hazards that have not been recognized by formal, science-based disaster protocols in Chile. At a policy level, IKI attempts at shedding light on indigenous knowledge-making for the promotion of an open and inclusive disaster culture in Chile. Particularly, it aims at working with designers, educators and artists to produce pedagogical materials for K-12 level schools.

 

The position

CIGIDEN is opening a postdoctoral position for a 2 year period, starting preferably on March 2018. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with Dr. Manuel Tironi, PI of RL4 and coordinator of IKI. The successful candidate will also have research support from the Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Research – CIIR (www.ciir.cl).

The successful candidate is expected to conduct ethnographic-based research on and with indigenous communities in Chile to understand the relation between ontologies, identity, knowledge ecologies, and disaster sensing and prevention. These communities will be defined once the post has been awarded based on the candidate’s research plan.

She/he is expected to produce at least two indexed articles, one of them with double affiliation CIGIDEN-CIIR. The successful candidate is also expected to actively participate in the activities of RL4 and CIGIDEN, and to participate in CIIR’s annual environment and development seminar.

The successful candidate will undergo an mid-term evaluation by the end of year-1. She/he is also required to submit a postdoctoral proposal to FONDECYT by the end of year-1.

 

Requirements

General:

• The candidate must hold a PhD in a relevant social science (such as Anthropology, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Geography or related fields).
• Basic Spanish language skills (conversational and reading) for research purposes.
• Fluency in English, particularly for writing purposes.

Specific:

• Experience doing ethnographic research. Experience doing fieldwork in contexts of indigeneity is desired but not required.
• Knowledge of the literature in the fields of indigenous knowledge, political ecology,  environmental anthropology, disaster studies, and science and technology studies is desired.

The successful applicant will reside in Santiago, Chile. She/he will receive a monthly salary of $ 1,800,000 Chilean pesos and travel expenses for research activities.

 

Process

**Application deadline: 15 December, 2017**

To apply, send a letter of intent, a tentative proposed research agenda, a sample of written work, a CV, and two letters of recommendation. The email message header should be titled “Postdoc SPC-CIGIDEN” and directed to Manuel Tironi (metironi@uc.cl). First selection of candidates will be conducted on the basis of the submitted application files. Candidates may also be invited for interview (via Skype where necessary).

For further information please contact Manuel Tironi (metironi@uc.cl).