The Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) is one of Germany’s 57 Clusters of Excellence. At the BCDSS, we look at forms of durable and strong asymmetrical dependencies from various angles. The BCDSS comprises more than forty disciplines and covers a temporal range from 4000 BCE till today.
In 2021, the BCDSS was given the Library of Ancient Slavery of the former Mainz Academy project Forschungen zur antiken Sklaverei ('Research on Ancient Slavery') as a loan. Over the course of three decades (until 2012), the Library accumulated some 16,600 media units. In addition to classic books or monographs (3,500), there are also numerous printouts or photocopies of encyclopaedia entries, papers and articles (12,250), as well as some microfilms and a large stock of PDF files (3,100). It is one of the world’s largest collections on ancient slavery, including texts not only in the European scholarly languages, but also from the Slavic, Nordic and Finno-Ugric language families, as well as titles in Hebrew, Turkish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
To give international scholars access to this library in a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment, the BCDSS set up the Euthenia Fellowship Program.
In 1958, a Roman gravestone was unearthed in Bonn which marked the tomb of Euthenia, an enslaved woman. According to her epitaph, Euthenia died when she was 35 years old, probably in the second half of the first century CE, soon after the construction of the first legionary fortress in Roman Bonna. Euthenia was among the first inhabitants of the civilian settlements that sprang up near the military area, the vicus and the canabae legionis.
The BCDSS is calling for applications for one fellowship to work with the Library of Ancient Slavery for six months for “early career researchers” in the academic year 2024/2025.
The fellowship comprises:
- a monthly stipend of € 1,550 for doctoral fellows;
- a monthly stipend of € 2,400 for (non-tenured) postdocs (up to four years after their doctorate),
- a monthly stipend of € 3,000 for senior postdocs (more than four years after their doctorate, including tenure track assistant/associate professors),
- travel allowance (outward and return journey);
- basic accommodation;
- a working space including a desktop computer at the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies;
- support in organizational matters upon arrival;
- support in finding day care for children.
How to apply:
The application should include the following documents:
For Doctoral Fellows
1. a statement (max. 6 pages) outlining
a project description;
an outline or structure of your doctoral dissertation;
a statement on the status of your dissertation;
a detailed work plan until completion of the dissertation;
the relevance of your project to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies, and
the Library of Ancient Slavery in particular; and
your preferred period of stay in Bonn
2. your concise Curriculum Vitae
3. a list of your publications (if applicable)
4. your university degree certificate
5. a copy of your admission as a doctoral student at the relevant faculty, or a current certificate
of enrolment
6. two letters of recommendation – one of them by your supervisor, both to be sent separately
to application[at]dependency.uni-bonn.de
For Postdoctoral Fellows
1. a statement (max. 4 pages) outlining:
- your academic interest in the field of dependency and slavery studies;
- a project description with a special focus on how the Library of Ancient Slavery is of relevance;
- the relevance of your project to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies; and your preferred period of stay in Bonn
2. your concise Curriculum Vitae
3. a list of your principal publications
4. your PhD certificate
5. two letters of recommendation sent separately to application[at]dependency.uni-bonn.de
IMPORTANT: The fellowship may start between 1 October 2024 and 1 April 2025. Please do let us know your preferred start date in your application.
Please send your complete application documents in English, combined into one single PDF file, to
application[at]dependency.uni-bonn.de. The application deadline is 15 May 2024.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Successful candidates will be informed as soon as possible.
If you have any further questions, please contact Sarah Dusend at
researchandstudy[at]dependency.uni-bonn.de