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Beyond Restitution: Heritage, (Dis)Possession and the Politics of Knowledge (BEYONDREST) is an interdisciplinary research project, funded by the European Research Council (Grant Agreement No. 101045661). At the Forum, it is affiliated to the research program “Europe in the Middle East – The Middle East in Europe (EUME)”. On the backdrop of ongoing debates to decolonialize museums, the interdisciplinary research project BEYONDREST takes restitution not as an endpoint but as the point of departure to explore what kind of loss dispossessed artworks engender, and how this loss has shaped the knowledge production on heritage. Geographically it focuses on the interlocution between Western Europe, the Near and Middle East, and North Africa, mapping relationships between people and “things” that have largely been left out of current restitution debates. The research is directed by Principal Investigator Dr. Banu Karaca. More information: https://www.eume-berlin.de/fellows/vita/banu-karaca-3.html

The student assistant’s tasks are to support the project and its PI, including the following main tasks:

• Gathering of literature, media materials, and cultural policy papers
• Compilation of annotated bibliographies
• Updating and maintaining the project website
• Preparation and organization of academic events
• General office duties and travel organization

Requirements:

• Student in Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences, Area Studies or Legal Studies, preferably with a focus on the Near and/or Middle East and an interest in the thematic focus of the research project, especially heritage and questions of restitution,
• Strong organizational skills (proven e.g. by student employment, volunteer work)
• Fluency in English and Arabic (verbal and written) or Turkish; French language skills are advantageous
• Competency in handling common office software; willingness to become acquainted and work with content management systems and databases
• Independent and reliable working method

In order to be employed, candidates must be enrolled (as MA or BA students) at a university or college. Working conditions and salary are based on the Labour Agreement for Student Employees (Tarifvertrag für studentische Beschäftigte) as of January 1, 2003 (TV Stud II) and on the Minimum Wage Law of the State of Berlin (Landesmindestlohngesetz) in its currently valid version.

Please send your application (cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, certificates, including a note on the preferred amount of weekly working hours) in German or English language in one PDF file via email to bewerbung(at)trafo-berlin.de until June 8, 2022. Job interviews are expected to take place on June 15 and 16, 2022. Contact person is Dr. Banu Karaca, BEYONDREST’s Principal Investigator.

Our institution aims to reflect society in its entirety. Therefore, we invite applications from individuals regardless of their cultural and social background, gender, age, religion, worldviews, disabilities, and sexual orientation.