The Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism’ examines phenomena of unresolved simultaneity of legal unity and pluralism from a genuinely historical perspective. Its main hypothesis is that legal pluralism should not be regarded as a sign of deficient law or a dysfunctional legal praxis (of earlier historical periods) but as a structural characteristic of law per se. The project opens up unusual perspectives on the understanding of law and society in general and the (legal) ways of dealing with forms of cultural diversity in particular. The goal of the Kolleg is to develop and to test a historically informed descriptive and analytical model in a cooperation between the Fellows and the Münster scholars. In this manner, the Kolleg will assess the interrelations of legal unity and pluralism afresh and offer a new analytical approach to diverse phenomena of coexistence for discussion. We invite (legal) historians, scholars of applied law, ethnology, sociology, theology, literary studies as well as Jewish and Islamic studies. The fellows’ projects should exhibit clear relevance for both the general aims of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg as well as the respective annual themes. These themes are:

2021/22: Exceptions and Plurality.
2022/23: Modes of Standardisation.
2023/24: Causes of Plurality.
2024/25: Dynamism and Stability.

In this context, we are currently especially interested in a) research projects with a high historical depth, b) research projects from the field of social science with a major focus on theory and c) research projects from the field of law.

We encourage applications for 6-12 month fellowships. The commencement as well as the actual duration of the fellowship will be discussed with the successful applicant. Please state when you plan to stay in Münster in your application. We currently expect to repeat the call for applications approximately every six months, and are now taking applications for fellowships up to 2025.

How to apply

Prospective fellows must have completed their doctoral studies and possess exceptional expertise in the research field of the Kolleg.

Please email your application including the following documents as one .pdf to info.evir@uni-muenster.de until 30.09.2021.

PROJECT PROPOSAL – C. 1000 WORDS

The proposal should outline the proposed research project and demonstrate the relevance to the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism‘ as well as the respective annual theme. It should also show the project’s relevance and contribution to current academic debates and identify the intended aims of the successful fellowship.

WORK SCHEDULE – C. 500 WORDS

The work schedule should convey a rough idea of how the fellow intends to organise their time at the Kolleg.

CURRICULUM VITAE

A CV of no more than four pages

Please consult the attached PDF for the more detailed original call for fellowships.

KHK Fellowship Call English