> Four Postdoc Positions (m/f/d, E13 TV-L, 100%) > Faculty of Humanities, Institute for the Study of Religions > The University of Tübingen invites applications for > > four Postdoctoral Researcher positions (m/w/d, E13 TV-L, 100%) > > within the ERC-funded Synergy Project MANTRAMS, Mantras in Religion, Media, > and Society in Global Southern Asia, specifically focusing on the > multifaceted roles of mantras across cultures. > > Position: Postdoctoral Researcher > Faculty: Faculty of Humanities > Job Vacancy Starting: December 1, 2025 > Contract Duration: 24 months > Employment Type: 100% (TV-L E-13) > > Your Field of Activity: > > You will contribute to the MANTRAMS project’s Task Force 2 (TF2), which > focuses on Sonic Efficacy in Global Southern Asia. > > Sonic efficacy in global Southern Asia employs immersive ethnography and > participant observation, sound studies and sensory anthropology methods to > pursue two research strands. > > 1. The first, Religious sound, religious space: Mantras in sonic soteriology > and place-making, will study ‘mantra’ as a relational category that considers > the ways powerful syllables and sacred sounds are embedded within local sonic > ideologies and musical genres. This research strand also studies > inter-religious tensions and controversies surrounding competing soundscapes > and amplified religious sounds. > > Three dimensions are particularly relevant here: > > Music and music instruments. How do mantric practices share a sonic ideology > that is common to genres of sacred sound like zikr, kirtan, bhajan, nam japa, > paritta, etc. ? > Health and healing. What is the therapeutic and medical efficacy of mantras? > Why are mantra practitioners often situated in the fuzzy borderland between > religion and traditional medicine? > Place-making. What is that efficacious sounds do to the place where they are > played, repeated, or amplified? > 2. The second strand, Mantras from below: Ensounding the margins expands the > conventional archive of Mantra Studies and gives centrality to sonic > practices among Dalit religions, Adivasi traditions, Muslim healers, > performers, drummers, subaltern communities, women, and gender minorities. > This research component aims to rethink the traditional canon, often > Sanskrit-centred and overrepresenting priestly elites. We propose instead > prioritizing the grassroot and everyday mantra practices from people and > places that are often considered to be at the margins (both social and > geographical) of mantras’ authority and authenticity. > > Research projects examining mantra in relation to drumming, sonic healing > (e.g., in New Spiritualities and SBNR contexts), technologies of sound > reproduction and amplification, and underrepresented areas (e.g., Tibetan and > Himalayan region, mainland Southeast Asia) are welcome. > > Your Future Tasks: > > Engage in interdisciplinary research focused on mantras and/as sound, and > mantras as unequally distributed sounds. > Publish your findings in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, and > present your work at international conferences. > Collaborate with our digital humanities team to engage actively in the > development and data curation for the "OMnibus of Mantras" project website. > This involves mapping and archiving sonic and visual representations of > mantras across global Southern Asia, contributing to the design process, > refining content, and regularly updating our online platforms with > accessible, well-documented findings. > Collaborate closely with the MANTRAMS team and Principal Investigators, > including contributing to the planning and development of events, workshops > and an interactive museum exhibition. > Work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary and international team, > contributing to joint research activities and supporting your colleagues in > the achievement of the project’s goals. > Assist in preparing reports for the MANTRAMS project. > Your Profile: > > Completed PhD or equivalent in Anthropology, Sound Studies, Religious > Studies, Asian Studies, Indology, Ethnomusicology, or a closely related > field. > Strong expertise and relevant experience in academic research on at least one > of these topics in Asian contexts: sacred sound; oral literature and > folklore; traditional music and dance; ritual, performance, festivals; > religion and healing; traditional medicine; gender; body and embodiment; > subaltern groups, minorities, and marginalized communities. > Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, with the > ability to work collaboratively in a big, international team. > Proven research and publication record in relevant areas. > Experience and willingness to conduct ethnographic fieldwork. > Experience in independent scholarly writing to a high level of academic > content and formal presentation. > Proficiency in one or more modern Asian languages. > Familiarity with digital humanities methods, multimedia and audiovisual > formats are an asset. Experience in sound editing, graphic design and web > design are not required, but certainly appreciated. > What We Offer: > > You will be part of an ambitious and challenging interdisciplinary project, > committed to cutting-edge research, ethical international collaboration, and > creative formats of knowledge dissemination. > > We offer excellent training, access to extensive academic resources, a highly > collaborative international environment and resources for funding your > fieldwork, equipment, conferences and professionalization courses. > > The University of Tübingen has ~ 28,000 students and more than 500 years of > academic tradition. It has national excellence status and offers a vibrant > research environment in a picturesque city. You will benefit from a variety > of training opportunities and language courses as well as the university’s > graduate academy. > > Start date for successful applicants is 1st December 2025. > > Application Process: > > Please submit by 1st September 2025, in a single PDF file: > > Cover letter > Curriculum Vitae > Research project proposal (maximum 2,000 words, excluding notes and > bibliography), including an outline of your potential contribution to the > MANTRAMS team and project outcomes. > List of publications and multimedia outputs > Copies of academic certificates > Contact details of two referees > Applications must be sent by email to [email protected] > <https://uni-tuebingen.de/#> by September 1st, 2025. Informal inquiries are > also welcome at this address. For further details about the project, you can > look at the webpage > <https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/philosophische-fakultaet/fachbereiche/altertums-und-kunstwissenschaften/institut-fuer-religionswissenschaft/mantrams/>. > You are also warmly invited to listen to a project presentation recorded by > the Centre for Yoga Studies at SOAS, London > <https://yso.soas.ac.uk/product/mantrams/>. > > Employment (E13 TV-L, for 2 years;100%) will be arranged by the University of > Tübingen. The positions are available immediately. Salary will be determined > according to the German collective wage agreement in public service. The > University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. The > University aims to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching > and therefore urges suitable qualified women scientists to apply. Qualified > international researchers are expressly invited to apply. Severely disabled > persons with equal aptitude will be given preferential consideration. > > *** > > 4 POSTDOC POSITIONS OPEN! > Sonic Efficacy and Mantras from the Margins > University of Tübingen | Faculty of Humanities > Join the ERC Synergy Project MANTRAMS > Explore mantras as sonic, social, and embodied within and beyond Southern > Asia > We’re hiring 4 full-time postdocs (E13 TV-L, 2 years) to work on themes like: > Sonic soteriology & sacred soundscapes > Healing, medicine & mantra efficacy > Drumming, gendered voices & sonic subalterns > Digital archives & sound mapping > Start: 1 December 2025 > Deadline: 1 September 2025 > Apply here: https://uni-tuebingen.de/.../four-postdoc-positions-m-f.../ > <https://uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet/karriere/newsfullview-stellenangebote/article/four-postdoc-positions-m-f-d-e13-tv-l-100/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExWXhGWVpaSEI4NktEeXYxUAEeyNELJs6pRdYNVD11zRBaz3Hof_SN3ccSPiJGPdrMayIzZaFOSeW-m1MT9Vs_aem_9nnWljcW6oa0yZpRRw6UAw> > Send your application to: [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > Researchers with backgrounds in Anthropology, Religious Studies, Sound > Studies, Ethnomusicology, Asian Studies & beyond — we want to hear from you! > Asian language skills + ethnographic experience welcome > We value diversity, creativity & field-based, interdisciplinary research > #PostdocJobs > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/postdocjobs?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #AcademicJobs > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/academicjobs?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #SoundStudies > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/soundstudies?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #Ethnomusicology > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ethnomusicology?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #ReligiousStudies > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/religiousstudies?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #Anthropology > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/anthropology?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #ERCfunded > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ercfunded?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #MantraStudies > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mantrastudies?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #DigitalHumanities > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/digitalhumanities?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #Tübingen > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/t%C3%BCbingen?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #GlobalSouth > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/globalsouth?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #Fieldwork > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/fieldwork?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #CallForApplications > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/callforapplications?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > #ApplyNow > <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/applynow?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWgp4P0YTqoInbkgg8l9YOvLywQcHpfzOjBMkgyDh1-fQa4YhUtoSEn78WsJh-SE7F2CktkHJ7yz1May80WBbRGorZBgkmYChaIa1jchkKgZ7JPpyIu0qfl0aFzedI9nSwcZxTqCnie2tAixvSSnh2Wd-iE1ux0bGYZGTc3FjblEQ&__tn__=*NK-R> > > > -- > Dr. Habil. Carola Lorea > Jun. Professor 'Rethinking Global Religion' > <https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/philosophische-fakultaet/fachbereiche/altertums-und-kunstwissenschaften/institut-fuer-religionswissenschaft/institut/personen/jun-prof-carola-lorea/> > University of Tübingen > ERC Synergy MANTRAMS > <https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/philosophische-fakultaet/fachbereiche/altertums-und-kunstwissenschaften/institut-fuer-religionswissenschaft/mantrams/> > > The Ethnography of Tantra > <https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Ethnography-of-Tantra> > <https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/coronasur>CoronAsur: Asian > Religions in the Covidian Age > <https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/coronasur> > Folklore, Religion and the Songs of a Bengali Madman > <http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/9789004324718> > > Recent publications: > > Faith in Immunity > <https://brill.com/view/journals/asme/19/1/asme.19.issue-1.xml> > Religious Sounds Beyond the Global North > <https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463726160/religious-sounds-beyond-the-global-north>
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