Missions

Jerusalem is, from the point of view of the laws in force and the courts in operation, a mosaic of texts, institutions, jurisdictions and statutes that are at once complementary, superimposed and contradictory, a mirror of the ongoing conflict and a source of new disputes. It is necessary to map out, on the smallest possible scale, the laws in force and the courts in place, as well as to carry out a close and detailed ethnography of their functioning. The researcher will have to map, document and ethnographically describe, in the field of the family, the different laws and legal practices coexisting in Jerusalem, in order to account for both their ordinary modes of operation and the inscription of this ordinary in a regime of exception. To carry out his/her descriptive and analytical work, the researcher will first undertake a historical and spatial mapping of Jerusalemite inter-legality. Secondly, s/he will explore the diachronic process by which religious laws have been transformed into positive law supported by the State. Thirdly, combining pragmatic history and legal ethnography, the researcher will observe legal practices in religious courts . Two other questions will be raised transversally. On the one hand, the question of whether the diversity and fragmentation of the Jerusalem legal and judicial landscape, which generates a discourse on multiculturalism, does not serve as a cover for discrimination, negligence and the formation of a hegemony. On the other hand, it is a question of knowing if the strongly gendered character of these orders is not exacerbated by the asymmetries generated by the territorial and institutional fragmentation.

Activities

The researcher will carry out the following activities:
- fieldwork in Jerusalem's religious courts (focusing on a maximum of three jurisdictions)
- participant observation of interactions within the courts
- interviews with the various protagonists (professionals, parties)
- collection of all available written material and translation of essential excerpts
- production of significant case studies
- participation in the writing of collective articles
- participation in the coedition of a collective work.

Skills

Candidates should have the following qualifications:
- fluency in Arabic, Hebrew and English; a good knowledge of French is also desirable.
- hold a doctorate in human or social sciences
- have experience of ethnographic surveys
- have some knowledge of current legislation.

Work Context

The CRFJ is a research center belonging to the UMIFRE system, i.e. the joint research institutes of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Located in Jerusalem, its annual scientific program covers all disciplines in archaeology, the humanities and the social sciences.

Constraints and risks

The researcher will have to take into account the security constraints specific to the city of Jerusalem and a context of conflict.