Call for expression of interest – Paid internship or mobility grant (Lebanon, 2020-2021)
Application deadline extended to 10/18/2020
In the context of the establishment of the Lebanese National Commission on the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared, and in collaboration with the association ACT for the Disappeared, Ifpo’s Department of Contemporary Studies is considering offering an internship or mobility grant for a period of 4 to 6 months related to the issue of enforced disappearances during the Lebanese War (1975-1990).
Reminder of the context
During the Lebanese War, according to official figures, more than 17,000 people went missing. Families are still waiting for information on their fate. In 2018, Parliament finally adopted a law that provides for the establishment of a national commission to investigate the fate of these missing persons and provide reparations to the families. The members of this National Commission were appointed in June 2020.
Despite these positive developments, many challenges remain, exacerbated by the current economic and political crises facing Lebanon. Yet there is urgency. As the tragic events of the civil war unfold, there are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses and the risk of the disappearance of clandestine graves is increasing. The legitimate right of families to know the truth is thus compromised by the loss of information that may prove crucial.
ACT for the Disappeared launched a documentation project in 2016 to collect and preserve information on the fate of the disappeared in Lebanon for handover to the National Commission. The project consists of collecting data on the circumstances of the disappearances and mapping alleged clandestine graves throughout Lebanon.
In 2020, IFPO and ACT signed an agreement to collaborate in the collection of information and the implementation of academic research that will help clarify the fate and whereabouts of persons missing from the civil war.
Purpose of the internship or mobility grant
The intern will be responsible for conducting a reportable study that will contribute to ACT’s documentation work. In parallel, the research may also be used as a basis for a Master 2 thesis or in the context of a PhD thesis.
Depending on the candidate’s disciplinary profile and research trajectory, several research themes or objects can be envisaged:
- Practices of captivity and places of detention during the Lebanese War
- Roadblocks and checkpoints as a means of controlling space and populations
- Clandestine burial practices and places of abandonment of corpses
- Historical research on one of the theatres or episodes of the war in the context of which enforced disappearances occurred (e.g. Black Saturday, Karantina and Damur massacres, siege of Tell al-Zaatar, Battle of Zahle, « war of the camps », « war of elimination », « war of liberation », etc.).
The successful candidate will benefit from Ifpo’s scientific supervision and will work in collaboration with ACT for the Disappeared, which will make available to him/her the documentation already collected. The study will be carried out during the academic year 2020-2021.
Desired profile
- The candidate will have at least a Master 1 in social sciences (history, geography, anthropology, sociology, political science).
- Minimum prior knowledge of the Lebanese terrain.
- Languages required: Proficiency in literal and/or dialectal Arabic, and in French and/or English is essential.
- Depending on the proposed research project, skills in cartography and information management will be an asset.
How to apply
Applicants must send a CV and a research project of maximum 1000 words before 10/18/2010 to the following address: secretariat.directeur@ifporient.org
Extented deadline for application: 10/18/2020
Further information
For more information, please contact Candice Raymond (c.raymond@ifporient.org) and Joyce Nassar (j.nassar@ifporient.org).
