Postdoctoral Position/Research Fellow in Social Anthropology with Focus on East Africa

DEPARTMENT/Centre/programme/service: Gender Center
CONTRACT: maximum duration contract of 1 year
ACTIVITY RATE: 50%, 20 h / w
application deadline: 10.04.2026
starting DATE: 01.06.2026 ideally (depending on the selected candidate)

Presentation of the Institute:
The Geneva Graduate Institute, founded in 1927, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for the study of international relations and development. Located in Geneva, Switzerland, the Institute offers a stimulating, multicultural and interdisciplinary academic environment. It offers masters and doctoral programmes, and conducts cutting-edge research on major global challenges.

The project:
Funded in the context of Project FamilEA: The Remaking of the Family in East Africa, a research project sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation (2023-2027, ref. CRSII5_213547).
Project FamilEA seeks to understand the dynamics of family transformation in East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) by combining four strategies: 1) building a common interdisciplinary conceptual foundation; 2) combining a range of methods from across the social sciences and the humanities to build a common core dataset; 3) implementing, in two neighbouring countries with distinct family patterns, a comparative study design involving men and women, younger and middle-aged adults, capital cities and countryside, and various socio-economic groups and life trajectories; 4) involving discipline-specific individual projects that stand in close dialogue with one another and with the core theory and dataset. See project website: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/research-centres/gender-centre/familea-remaking-family-east-africa.
FamilEA’s core data includes a quantitative survey, conducted in the two East African capitals of Kampala and Nairobi in the summer 2024 (n= 2000 in each city), which documents the composition and structure of families along a number of parameters: co-residence, kinship, subjective importance, frequency of contacts, and physical distance. The survey further documents exchanges, perceived obligations, and conflicts between family members. Based on the survey data, the FamilEA quantitative team is currently finalizing three typologies: one for co-residing households, one for contacts with non-resident relatives, and one for support from significant others.
Following the completion of the quantitative survey, it was complemented by a second layer of ethnographic data, which included in-depth interviews and observations. In total, more than 100 in-depth interviews were conducted across the two cities, with survey respondents selected to reflect diversity. These extensive interviews are currently being summarized as portraits by the qualitative members of the team.

Key responsibilities:
The postdoctoral fellow will analyze the core qualitative data (both portraits and in-depth interviews) to identify and categorize the various ways of “doing family” in the two capital cities. This analysis, which will be done in consultation with the project coordinators and the team at large, may focus on dimensions such as social position and deprivation, violence and support in the family of origin, gendered expectations, varying life stages, the symbolic and practical role of extended kin, and the role of non-kin ties and networks. The fellow will cross his or her results with the quantitative typologies and will write an article to be submitted before the end of their contract (May 31, 2027). Concurrently, the fellow will document "family archipelagos" observed in both Nairobi and Kampala, based on the qualitative interviews, and will identify patterns of engagement and exchange between geographically dispersed family members. A draft report on the topic will be submitted to the project by the end of the contract (May 31, 2027).

To be successful in this role, you should have:
A doctoral degree in anthropology or related field of relevance to the position
Excellent knowledge of English
Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team

Assets
Established familiarity with East Africa and especially with family-related themes
Experience with interdisciplinary research and with mixed methods
Experience publishing in reputed peer-reviewed academic outlets
Knowledge of additional languages spoken in Uganda and Kenya, as well as French

The successful candidate is expected to join the FamilEA team in Geneva on June 1, 2026 ideally.

What you can expect from us:
Working with a large international community of users from diverse backgrounds.
Interesting job with varied tasks.
Good atmosphere in a human-sized team. At the heart of International Geneva.
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Our recruitment process if you are selected:
You will be contacted by email to complete an Assessment.
An interview at the Institute or by video (depending on where you live) with Human Resources to find out more about your motivations and personal skills.
A final interview with the supervisor, who will be happy to answer your job-related questions.

How to apply
Candidates have to submit their application through the website before April 10, 2026. The application will include:
Letter of motivation (up to two pages)
Complete academic CV (including academic outputs, if applicable)
Two writing samples (e.g., PhD chapters or academic publications, if applicable)
Names and contact details of two referees.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, marital status, disability status, race, national origin, color, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

For more information, candidates are encouraged to consult the Institute's website: graduateinstitute.ch

Please note that offers received by post or direct email won't be considered.