The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv University invites applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships in Transitional Justice (one at each location) for the 2020-2021 Academic Year
Transitional Justice is a multidisciplinary field of contemporary research and practice concerned with processes that can enable societies that have suffered from widespread human rights violations (as a result of severe political and social disruption, armed conflict, military rule, authoritarian regimes, or even genocide) to transition successfully to sustainable conditions of peace, reconciliation, democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights. Such processes may include constitutional reform, accountability, truth-seeking, acknowledgement, apologies, reparations and restitution, community empowerment, redistribution of resources, preservation, documentation and archiving of cultural heritage, among others. Areas of interest include the role of civil society and academia in such processes, and the role of gender in conflict and peacebuilding contexts.
The fellowships include:
• A scholarship in the amount of €24,000 (October 2020 – September 2021);
• Participation in the academic events of the Minerva Center for Human Rights, and required presence at the respective Center (in Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv) at least 3 days per week;
• The possibility of short research stays at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg.
Fellowship application requirements:
• The Fellowship is open to researchers in any discipline related to transitional justice (e.g., law, political science, international relations, conflict resolution, history, sociology, philosophy and others) who received their doctorate no earlier than October 2015 or who will submit their dissertation no later than May 2020;
• The research plan must deal with current themes and challenges in the field of transitional justice, and indicate their relevance to Israel, to the Israel-Palestine conflict or to current transitional challenges in the Middle East;
• The Fellow will commit to complete a peer-reviewed article or otherwise significant research project during the 2020-2021 academic year, and to present it at academic events;
• The Fellow will help organize activities at the Center related to Transitional Justice, including organizing a conference/workshop or leading a reading group.
Applications should include:
• Research plan (up to 2 pp., double space) including a description of the topics the applicant intends to research during the Fellowship year, research methodology and relevance to transitional justice;
• Summary of the applicant’s doctoral thesis (up to 2 pp., double space) and official confirmation of the date the PhD was awarded or (if not yet approved) the dissertation was submitted;
• Curriculum vitae, including publications;
• At least three recommendation letters – including one from each of the applicant’s doctoral supervisors (or from all supervisors collectively), one from a researcher not from the university where the applicant completed their PhD, and one from a researcher affiliated with an accredited academic institution of the applicant’s choosing.
Applications are to be submitted online at: http://hsr.huji.ac.il
Note that in order to apply, applicants must first create an account on the website. Once the account has been created, the Minerva Transitional Justice Postdoctoral Fellowships can be found under “Special Programs – General Applications”. Applicants should indicate their institutional preference for spending the Post-doc at Tel Aviv University or at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (or lack of preference).
For questions regarding the application process, please contact: mchr@savion.huji.ac.il