Postdoc Positions

Offer Description

The École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, www.ehess.fr) is a graduate-only research institution that has a unique standing in the world of research and higher education in France. It hosts scholars from all over the world committed to the study of contemporary societies seen within broad cultural and historical contexts. It trains students up to PhD level in all disciplines of the social and human sciences. Currently, 1500 master and 1500 PhD students are enrolled in the institution. The EHESS is also home to 40 research units organized around a particular field, approach or, for a third of them, “cultural area”. Within these units, more than 500 researchers develop knowledge and train and supervise master’s and PhD students.

The EHESS is one of the founding members of the public establishment “Campus Condorcet” which supports research programs of the Condorcet-members and provides their staff and students working conditions that meet international standards.

The postdoc will be integrated into the Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Politique, a center for the production, expression, dissemination and articulation of anthropological and critical approaches and readings of contemporary societies.

Presentation of the project:

AnceStra is an ERC Consolidator Grant project funded by the European Commission for a period of five years, from October 2025 to September 2030. Through a sociological approach, it explores the meanings individuals and groups concerned by processes of repatriation of ancestral remains in postcolonial contexts attribute to the concerned human remains. The project departs from demands of restitution concerning a specific collection: the ancestral remains from former German colonies in Africa which today are housed at the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Strasbourg. The concerned ancestral remains entered the institute between 1892 and 1911, during the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, when the University of Strasbourg had become German. A ground-breaking, two-way South-North/North-South, South-South and North-North qualitative socio-anthropological study in France, Namibia, Tanzania, and to a lesser extent in Cameroon, Germany and Togo will be conducted by an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers.

Main tasks:

• Bibliographical research on the relevant theoretical fields of the project
• Bibliographical research on research contexts of the study
• Participation in the study: conduct of biographical interviews, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations, focus group interviews, mainly in Namibia, but also in the other countries mentioned in the presentation of the project
• Organization of monthly seminars of collaborative analysis
• Organization of conferences in the countries concerned by the project, especially the conference planned at the University of Namibia
• Participation in research seminars
• Publications
• Organization of work meetings

Specific working conditions:

Travels to Namibia, but also in the countries concerned by the project. The applicant’s primary residence during the term of the contract must be in France.

The postdoc will work as part of a team. The team consists of the project director, the project manager, one contract researcher responsible for fieldwork in France and one PhD student conducting fieldwork in Tanzania. Some interviews will be conducted in tandems with a member of the AnceStra team.

Required skills:

• Experience in conducting qualitative research, especially based on biographical interviews and ethnographic observations
• Knowledge of scientific work and debates on restitutions in postcolonial contexts
• Ability to work autonomously and to take initiative
• Ability to work in international and multidisciplinary teams
• Fluent language skills in English (spoken and written), in one or several other languages spoken in Namibia (especially in Otjiherero or Nama), and if possible in French

Profile:

PhD in social or human sciences, preferably in sociology or anthropology, defended within the 3 years preceding the contract start date

How to apply:

Applications must include the following documents, written in English or French:

• Academic CV (including the list of publications), maximum 10 pages
• Letter of motivation, maximum 2 pages
• Copy of the PhD diploma or certificate of the PhD

Applications must be submitted on the EHESS employment interface: https://recrutement.ehess.fr/ at the latest on 30 September 2026. Candidates whose applications have been shortlisted will be invited to an interview that will take place by videoconference between 12 and 23 October 2026.

For any information concerning the project and the scientific expectations of the position, please contact the responsible of the project Dr. Elise Pape: elise.pape@ehess.fr or the project manager, Dr. Marion Robinaud: marion.robinaud@ehess.fr

Where to apply

Website: https://recrutement.ehess.fr/

Requirements

Research Field: Anthropology » Cultural anthropology; Sociology

Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• Experience in conducting qualitative research, especially based on biographical interviews and ethnographic observations
• Knowledge of scientific work and debates on restitutions in postcolonial contexts
• Ability to work autonomously and to take initiative
• Ability to work in international and multidisciplinary teams
• Fluent language skills in English (spoken and written), in one or several other languages spoken in Namibia (especially in Otjiherero or Nama), and if possible in French

Specific Requirements

• PhD in social or human sciences, preferably in sociology or anthropology, defended within the 3 years preceding the contract start date

Languages: ENGLISH Level: Excellent

Additional Information

Selection process

Applications must include the following documents, written in English or French:

• Academic CV (including the list of publications), maximum 10 pages
• Letter of motivation, maximum 2 pages
• Copy of the PhD diploma or certificate of the PhD

Applications must be submitted at the latest on 30 September 2026. Candidates whose applications have been shortlisted will be invited to an interview that will take place by videoconference between 12 and 23 October 2026.

Additional comments

For any information concerning the project and the scientific expectations of the position, please contact the responsible of the project Dr. Elise Pape: elise.pape@ehess.fr or the project manager, Dr. Marion Robinaud: marion.robinaud@ehess.fr

Website for additional job details: https://www.ehess.fr/jcms/ehess_65127/fr/contrat-postdoctoral-pour-le-projet-er…

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1

Company/Institute: Laboratoir d'Anthropologie Politique (LAP)

Country: France

State/Province: Ile de France

City: Paris

Postal Code: 75006

Street: 54 bd Raspail

Contact

City: PARIS

Website: http://www.ehess.fr

Street: 54 Boulevard Raspail

Postal Code: 75006