July 2013

Call for Applications

to fill 4 positions of Junior Researchers (part-time, 14 months) within the research program Violence Research and Development
The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and Bielefeld University (Germany) call for applications to fill 4 positions of Junior Researchers in a multilateral comparative research program on conflict and violence in Peru. The program entails collaboration of a total number of six universities in six countries (Germany, Peru, Pakistan, El Salvador, Nigeria and Egypt). For further information on "Violence Research and Development", see www.internationalviolenceresearch.org. The project Violence Research and Development, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), integrates networking, higher education capacity development in violence research and multilateral comparative research in order to strengthen international violence research, to establish an international network of violence research, to publish findings nationally and internationally, and ultimately to develop scientifically grounded political and civilsociety responses. The promotion of multilateral comparative research is central to the project. The research programme consists of four research lines focusing on different topics (see below the description of these lines). The junior researchers are expected to conduct an individual research project according to their interest that fits into one of the programs four research lines. Applicants should be educated in Social Science or the Humanities (MA/MPhil/ postgraduate students). The working and publication language of the program is English. The program is scheduled for 14 months, beginning in October 2013. Junior researchers will be given part-time positions, with a monthly remuneration of 800 (or the equivalent in Peruvian soles). Additionally they can apply for funds to cover their fieldwork. Junior researchers should live in Peru. Residency in Lima, however, is not required. The junior researchers will be supervised by a senior researcher who is based in Lima. Overall coordination of the research program lies with the International Centre for Violence Research (ICVR) at Bielefeld University. junior researchers are required to participate in meetings and workshops in Peru as well as in a winter school in 2013 and a summer school in August 2014 at Bielefeld University (duration: three weeks each). The first winter school will take place in Bielefeld from November 4 to 24, 2013. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered. Tasks: Conducting individual research that contributes to one of the research lines (Literature review, Development of the research design, field work and data collection, Data analysis). Active participation in meetings, workshop, and public lectures organised by the partner institution. Active participation in Bielefeld winter school 2013 and summer school 2014.

Meeting supervisor on a regular basis. Writing progress report on a quarterly basis. Writing articles and a report about their project results.

Requisites for Candidates: M.A./MPhil, or postgraduate student in Social Sciences or Humanities. Strong analytical skills and outstanding academic performance. Strong command of the English language (written and spoken). Background knowledge on conflict and violence research. Openness to close collaboration with researchers from other countries. Candidates must be self-driven and able to work independently. Availability to start with the research postion at October, 1st. 2013

Application procedure: For application you have to download application documents and details of the application procedure at

http://www.internationalviolenceresearch.org/call
Applications have to be submitted with a research proposal (2000 to 2500 words). Please study the detailed descriptions of research lines and the guidelines for proposal writing prior to writing the proposal. Do not forget making explicit reference to one research line. The application documents (short CV, certificates, etc.) have to be submitted together with the ICVR cover sheet and a 2000 to 2500 words long research proposal. For the proposal, junior researchers are requested to consult the detailed descriptions of the research lines and the guidelines for proposal writing available on the ICVR website and submit their proposal for their empirical study with explicit reference to one research line. Applications may be submitted as one single electronic document (pdf) only. All application documents must be in English language. Female candidates are expressly invited to submit their application. Please send your complete application to: rosario.figari-layus@uni-bielefeld.de Deadline for submission is August 6, 2013. For further inquiries, please contact: Rosario Figari Layus, Bielefeld University (rosario.figari-layus@uni-bielefeld.de) Prof. Narda Henriquez, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (violenciaydesarrollo@pucp.pe)

Brief description of Research Lines

Research Line 2: Justifications and Legitimacy of Police Violence. A Comparative Study of Norms of Internal Security in five Transition Countries In this research line a variety of justifications and explanations for police violence shall be reconstructed and contrasted within each country and across the five countries. The norms of internal security, visible in legal, political and media discourses, shall be considered. Key questions are: which forms of police violence are observed, which are seen as problematic? Why does police violence happen? What gives it legitimacy? These questions serve to get a grasp of perceptions of police violence and how these perceptions are framed and excused.

Research Line 3: Violent and Non-Violent Neighborhoods. A Comparative Analysis of Urban Neighborhoods Strategies of Violence Prevention and Control The research line aims to seek local social mechanisms for direct violence control and prevention and social context factors which enable or disable the success of community-wide and national measures of violence control and prevention. It tries to answer the following questions: are there specific social contexts in less violent communities compared to more violent ones? Are there specific social habits that prevent violence on the local level? Are there special social contracts in non-violent communities which do not exist in more violent ones? Which social actors are able to control or to prevent violence? By focusing on these questions the research line strengthens the micro-perspective in violence research on the Global South.

Research Line 4: Violence in the Twilight Zone: Informal Non-state Policing in the Global South. A Comparative Study of Community Members Perception of Informal Non-state Policing in Egypt, El Salvador, Nigeria, Pakistan and Peru The research line investigates how community members in Egypt, El Salvador, Nigeria, Pakistan and Peru perceive groups carrying out informal non-state policing. It thereby aims, first, at assessing whether informal non-state policing is considered to be acceptable and, thus, legitimate in the eyes of the members of the communities or not. Second, it aims at identifying the reasons why informal non-state policing is acceptable or not. The research will thus not only provide a broad overview of how informal non-state policing is seen by community members in different countries of the Global South, it will also allow for a comparison of the different perceptions and reasonings.

Research Line 5: Violence against Women: Victims Perceptions and Social Experiences The aim of the research project is to analyse the social perceptions and explanations of violence against women. The social patterns and explanatory or legitimising discourses underlying the prevalence and reproduction of gender based violence are identified by analysing the perspectives of victims, NGOs, the media and political authorities on violence against women. The project thereby seeks to develop a complementary and comparative understanding of the social and political factors and patterns underlying the prevalence and reproduction of gender based violence from a social science perspective.