Mecila (Maria Sibylla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America) is a joint project of the following German and Latin American research institutions: Freie Universität Berlin (coordination); Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Berlin); Universität zu Köln (Cologne); Universidade de São Paulo and Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (São Paulo); Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (Universidad Nacional de La Plata/Conicet, La Plata); and El Colegio de México (Mexico City).

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and established in São Paulo in April 2017, Mecila cordially invites postdoctoral scholars from any discipline to apply for its Fellowships. Successful applicants are expected to participate in a plural international research network that focuses on the co-constitution of conviviality and inequality from interdisciplinary perspectives. Accordingly, the Centre addresses the processes of negotiation, legitimation, transformation, and representation of existing hierarchies as they take place in everyday interactions and within institutions. The Centre encourages proposals focused on theoretical and/or empirical research using a wide range of methods and sources. A general outline of the Centre’s research programme is available on our website.

Mecila will award 4 Junior Fellowships, 5 Senior Fellowships, 2 Urban Narratives Fellowships and 4 Thematic Research Fellowships to excellent scholars in the humanities or social sciences. The duration of the Junior and Senior Fellowships is 9 months (from 1 March to 30 November), while the Urban Narratives is up to 5 and the Thematic is up to 6 months. Fellows are expected to commit fulltime to their proposed research activities at the Centre. For the duration of the Fellowship, fellows will normally receive a monthly allowance, depending on individual circumstances and taking other forms of income before and during the fellowship into account.

For further inquiries regarding the Fellowship or the application process, please refer to our FAQ available at Mecila’s website. In case of further questions please contact Mecila’s Coordination Office in São Paulo via e-mail (mecila@cebrap.org.br).

The Calls are open until 15 February.