The Institute of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences, University of Bremen, invites applications for the following academic position (subject to confirmed funding), starting January 1, 2019, until 05.10.2021:
Research Position/PhD Researcher
Salary Scale: German Public Sector Salary TV-L 13, part-time 65%,
Geographical Scope: Kenya or Rwanda or Uganda
Working Language: English
Reference number: A243/18
Project Description
The project “Figurations of Internationalized Rule in Africa” is funded by the German Re-search Foundation (DFG). The project KA 4953/1-1, co-directed by Prof. Dr. Klaus Schlichte and Dr. Jude Kagoro focuses on post-war situations in Africa. While having their own political agenda post-war government in Africa need to accommodate contradicting expectations. International donors press towards a rationalization of state agencies and insist on political and economic liberalization. Domestic power groups try to “capture” the state in pursuing their own interest or to avoid and circumvent state policies. Furthermore, government agents seem to pursue a classical “image of the state” in which ideas like sovereignty, territory and population are supreme. Starting with this understanding of contradictory expectations and using histori-cal political sociology as theoretical framework, this project aims at identifying the political figurations that result from these constellations. Assuming that the quality of relationships will find its expression in guiding implicit and explicit patterns of action, our research question is: What are the practical norms that guide African government officials’ and donor staff in figurations of internationalized rule?
Three cases (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya) will be investigated based on a semi-structured, reiterative logic of comparison. Different research methods will be used: Beyond document analysis and expert interviews, it attempts to use multi-sited participant observation as an in-novation for the study of internationalized politics in Africa. The project aims at contributing to an understanding of African politics that is less burdened with normative expectations (democracy, development, security) and would allow both, scholars and practitioners, to better understand what the figuration, the web of relations, of internationalized rule consists of.