The Law & Anthropology Department is one of the three major departments which, together with a number of independent research groups, form the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, one of the leading centres for research in social anthropology. Common to all research projects at the institute is the comparative analysis of social change.

The Law & Anthropology Department offers a stimulating interdisciplinary forum where both anthropologists and legal scholars can engage with one another and conduct cutting-edge, policy-relevant research linked to the intensification of exchanges and encounters among and between legal systems, countries and communities in today’s societies. With this comes a growing demand for empirically grounded (ethnographic) knowledge and its translation - to the extent possible - into normative thinking at various levels of decision-making. The Department prioritizes research proposals that address this demand for translation in the increasingly plural European context.

The Law & Anthropology Department is offering positions for

Dissertation Writing-up Fellowships

The Law & Anthropology Department offers writing-up fellowships to enable doctoral candidates in the final stage of their programme to spend up to 4 months at the Institute to take advantage of its resources while finalizing their dissertations. The topic must be of immediate relevance to the Department’s research programme (see relevant parts of the Institute’s 2020–2022 report and highlights). Please note that, for this call, priority will be given to applicants working towards PhDs in anthropology. The fellow should be prepared to participate in the activities of the Department during the fellowship period, and is expected to submit a working paper that addresses the topic of his or her research. A presentation of the doctoral research will be included in the Department’s seminar series.

A clear understanding must be reached in advance between the Director of the Department and the candidate’s principal supervisor regarding how the candidate can take fullest advantage of this period and how the home university and the Max Planck Institute can collaborate in the best interests of the candidate and of both institutions.

Our offer

The writing-up fellowships can begin either in spring or fall 2025. The grants will be awarded for a period of maximum 4 months. The Institute provides successful candidates with a monthly living stipend that is not taxable and is free of social security obligations.

The Max Planck Society strives to ensure gender equality and diversity.

Application procedure

Please submit your application materials electronically by 15 September 2024 by following the link for vacancies on our homepage (under ‘Career’), or by going directly to the vacancies page.

Applicants are asked to submit the following materials:

• cover letter;


• curriculum vitae;


• writing sample (chapter of the PhD dissertation);


• 1–2-page summary of the PhD work;


• photocopies of university degrees and transcripts;


• a letter of recommendation from the principal supervisor confirming that the applicant is advanced enough to finalize the doctoral manuscript within the period financed by the Law & Anthropology Department (to be sent directly to the Department at: marencakova@eth.mpg.de).

If you have questions regarding the application procedure, please contact:

Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Personnel Administration
Carolin Klevenow (klevenow@eth.mpg.de)

We look forward to receiving your completed online application under:
https://recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/499/Application/New/2

Further information on the research agenda of the Max Planck Institute is available on our website: https://www.eth.mpg.de