PhD contract in Anthropology - Brazil (M/F)

Job Description

Thesis Subject

• Profile required:
- Experience of South America and Brazil.
- Fluency in Portuguese and basic knowledge of Spanish.

- Working knowledge of English (reading books, oral presentations, drafting documents, etc.).
- Ability to follow a teaching and training programme in French for the first year.

- Knowledge of Brazil's history.

- Appreciated knowledge of the history of slavery in South America and of the presence and cultural practices of Afro-descendants in South America.

- Master's degree or equivalent qualification: A Master's degree in Anthropology is essential*, preferably with a specialisation in the anthropology of the body, political anthropology, dance anthropology, or health anthropology (including somatic practices). Training in social psychology and Dance/Movement Psychotherapy appreciated.

- Artistic experience in the performing arts, performance, theatre, dance, etc. related to political issues appreciated
- Candidates MUST also have previous experience of conscious movement and/or bodywork, and commit to training in the methodologies developed as part of the project.



• Scientific expectations for the contract:
- To write a monograph (doctoral thesis) on the themes addressed by the MOVING project, in particular: contemporary embodied memories of African slavery in daily life and somatic registers.
- At the end of the 1st year: a 50-page report will be produced on the construction of the research subject by the doctoral student, which they will present at their first meeting with the Thesis Monitoring Committee (CST in French), before being able to go out into the field.
- Second year: Fieldwork year in Brazil. Minimum duration of fieldwork in the country: 12 months.
- The doctoral contract is for a period of three years
- Research areas: the São Paulo region and/or the Salvador de Bahia region

Your Work Environment

• Further information:

The MOVING project aims to develop an ethnographic and interdisciplinary methodology for studying the traces and memories carried and transmitted through bodies, of African slavery in post-slavery and diasporic contexts. In line with new theoretical and methodological orientations, the project revisits the notion of embodiment and is interested in the movements of human bodies as bearers of memorial expressions and in the emotions and bodily sensations that accompany them. It is also interested in the potential for intimate and social transformation inherent in movement.
The MOVING project adopts a comparative approach in three South American countries: Brazil, Chile and Colombia. The design of the project is based on a methodology combining three types of research: classic academic, experimental and with an artistic creation approach; and action-oriented, involving the social participation of 'citizen scientists' and society as a whole.

• Application requirements:
- FIRST REGISTRATION in 2026-2027 for a doctorate in anthropology.
- NOT TO BE ENROLLED IN A DOCTORAL PROGRAMME at another French or foreign higher education institution.
- Hold a master's degree (or an equivalent diploma) or have a defence scheduled by June 2026.

• Modalities:
- All applications must be sent in French AND in English
- Please, apply through the CNRS dedicated gate AND send the documents required at: moving@ehess.fr
- Applications until June 19th September 2026, 11:59 PM (Paris time)
- Interviews will be held in the following two weeks.
- Expected start date of the contract: start of the 2026-2027 academic year. The call for application will be held open until the position is filled.

• Particulars:
*Please note: The signature of the doctoral contract and the payment of the associated remuneration will be conditional upon effective administrative registration for a doctorate at EHESS. To this end, candidates are asked to submit an application for admission on e-candidat at the same time as the present procedure. This step is a prerequisite for administrative registration.
See: https://www.ehess.fr/fr/doctorat-anthropologie-sociale-et-ethnologie

• Applications must include the following documents:
- a CV
- a cover letter + 2 letters of reference
- a research project on the aspects that the applicant would like to develop in one of the three countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia) of the project for the duration of the contract plus an indicative bibliography. The project must include a title, context of the subject and state of the art, problem statement, objectives and proposed place(s) of investigation, methodology and timetable (max 30,000 characters including spaces). Candidates are encouraged to consider topics beyond the already well-documented sites of African presence (such as quilombos, capoeira, etc.).
- Copy of 'Masters 2' thesis (France) or Masters' thesis if from a foreign university.
- Copy of last degree obtained and transcript of records (for M1 & M2 if applicable).


• INTERESTED APPLICANTS ARE INVITED TO MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN IN ADVANCE, in writing, at moving@ehess.fr.
This address may also be used for any questions regarding this call for applications.

Constraints and risks

• Work Context
- This recruitment is part of the ERC-2023-Advanced Grant research agreement entitled 'Moving Bodies and Memories of African Slavery in South America', “MOVING”, GA n°101142048, funded by the European Research Council (ERC). See: https://www.inshs.cnrs.fr/fr/personne/veronique-benei

- Véronique Beneï (Principal Investigator of the MOVING project) will supervise the thesis (with the possibility of co-supervision). PhD in Anthropology enrolled in the doctoral course in anthropology, ED286, at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France.**

• Position Details
The successful candidate must hold a Master's degree in Anthropology. Their specialisation may be in Dance, Political Anthropology (in which case they should also have a personal practice involving movement -such as dance, BMC, etc.) or health anthropology, with a particular focus on somatic practices. Training in social psychology and Dance Movement Psychotherapy, together with artistic experience in the performing arts (including performance, theatre, dance, etc.), will be considered an asset.

The candidate must demonstrate experience of South America and a sound knowledge of Brazilian history, as well as the ability to undertake a programme of teaching and training in French during the first year. They will be enrolled at the EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) in Paris and hosted by the Laboratory for Political Anthropology (LAP). Alongside participating in the laboratory's activities, they will work closely with the Principal Investigator of the MOVING project and doctoral supervisor, Véronique Beneï, as well as with the project's international and local research team.

The position offers an outstanding research environment for a high-calibre doctoral candidate, providing the opportunity to work in a multilingual setting (French, English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese), while taking part in experimental and exploratory workshops, the annual Summer Schools, and the two international conferences scheduled for the midpoint and the conclusion of the project. From the first year onwards, the candidate will also receive advanced training in the ethical and practical dimensions of research, including research data management.

Following an initial year in France devoted to refining the doctoral research project, the doctoral researcher will undertake a minimum twelve-month period of fieldwork in the state of São Paulo, with a possible comparative component in the state of Bahia. They will investigate, both in everyday life and in community events, embodied forms of communication, bodily postures, and mechanisms of non-verbal transmission associated with African heritage. Their research will explore a continuum ranging from everyday embodied and somatic practices (including posture, gesture, movement and bodily positioning) to bodily practices performed during festive events and/or as part of initiatives aimed at reconnecting with Afro-descendant heritage, for example through dance.

At the conclusion of the fieldwork, the doctoral researcher will produce a doctoral dissertation in the form of a monograph examining contemporary embodied memories of African slavery and artistic practices (including Afro dance forms), everyday life, and somatic repertoires in the above-mentioned regions of Brazil.

Drawing on their field experience and practice, the doctoral researcher will play an active role in collaborations with local artists during the second phase of the project. During the third phase, they will also contribute to the establishment of a local Citizen Science Lab—a genuine citizen science initiative conceived at the intersection of academic research and the artistic and cultural sectors. The doctoral researcher will invite residents from their fieldwork area who are interested in participating in the activities developed within this framework.

• Others:
- Assignment to the LAP, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Politique, located within the EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) at 54 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris. The candidate is expected to participate in the activities of the LAP, including its seminars and those of its research director. Physical presence is required (no online transmission).
- Dedicated workspace with access to the common facilities and services of the EHESS. Accessible to people with disabilities.
- Travel abroad expected.

• MOVING Project Details

The MOVING project aims to develop an ethnographic and interdisciplinary methodology for studying the traces and memories carried and transmitted through bodies, of African slavery in post-slavery and diasporic contexts. In line with new theoretical and methodological orientations, the project revisits the notion of embodiment and is interested in the movements of human bodies as bearers of memorial expressions and in the emotions and bodily sensations that accompany them. It is also interested in the potential for intimate and social transformation inherent in movement.
The MOVING project adopts a comparative approach in three South American countries: Brazil, Chile and Colombia. The design of the project is based on a methodology combining three types of research: classic academic, experimental and with an artistic creation approach; and action-oriented, involving the social participation of 'citizen scientists' and society as a whole. See: https://moving.hypotheses.org/


• Application requirements:
- FIRST REGISTRATION in 2026-2027 for a doctorate in anthropology
- NOT TO BE ENROLLED IN A DOCTORAL PROGRAMME at another French or foreign higher education institution
- Hold a master's degree in ANTHOPOLOGY or an equivalent diploma.*

*No exemption may be granted by the EHESS Doctoral Programme in Anthropology.
Note: Should an applicant who does not meet these requirements nevertheless wish to enrol for a PhD in Anthropology at EHESS outside the MOVING project, they would be required to complete a one-year pre-doctoral preparatory programme.

• Modalities
- All applications must be sent in French, in English AND in Portuguese
- Please, apply through the CNRS dedicated gate AND send the documents required at: moving@ehess.fr
- Applications until Thursday 27 August 2026, 23:59 (Paris time)
- - First audition (virtual) for shortlisted candidates: Wednesday 2 September from 2.00 pm (Paris time).
- - Second audition, in person, for candidates shortlisted following the first audition: Monday 7 September in PARIS, from 9.30 am.
- Expected start date of the contract: start of the 2026-2027 academic year.

• Applications must include the following documents:
- a CV
- a cover letter
- 2 letters of reference
- a research project on the aspects that the applicant would like to develop in one of the three countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia) of the project for the duration of the contract plus an indicative bibliography. The project must include a title, context of the subject and state of the art, problem statement, objectives and proposed place(s) of investigation, methodology and timetable (max 30,000 characters including spaces). Candidates are encouraged to consider topics beyond the already well-documented sites of African presence (such as quilombos, capoeira, etc.)
- Copy of 'Masters 2' thesis (France) or Masters' thesis if from a foreign university
- Copy of last degree obtained and transcript of records (for M1 & M2 if applicable)

• INTERESTED APPLICANTS ARE INVITED TO MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN IN ADVANCE, in writing, at moving@ehess.fr.
This address may also be used for any questions regarding this call for applications.

• Particulars:
*Please note: The signature of the doctoral contract and the payment of the associated remuneration will be conditional upon effective administrative registration for a doctorate at EHESS. To this end, candidates are asked to submit an application for admission on e-candidat at the same time as the present procedure. This step is a prerequisite for administrative registration.
See: https://www.ehess.fr/fr/doctorat-anthropologie-sociale-et-ethnologie

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions