Vacancy

Project Description

The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Natural History Museum Berlin), the Ethnological Museum and the Zentralarchiv der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (SPK) (Central Archive) as well as the Berlin Botanical Garden and Museum are conducting the first joint research into collections from the German colony of Togo. The research and evaluation are also being carried out in cooperation with partners from the Archives Nationales du Togo and the University of Ghana, as well as local experts in Togo and Ghana – as a model for transdisciplinary provenance research. For the first time, the archives and collections of Berlin museums, which were granted a prerogative on shipments from German colonies by a 1889 Bundesrat resolution, are being analysed in a comprehensive overview. The extensive colonial holdings continue to shape research and museum work to this day, but their origins are often insufficiently documented or unknown. At the same time, interest is growing in countries of origin in natural history collections in European museums as evidence of local knowledge and colonial appropriation, which reinforces the relevance of transdisciplinary provenance research. The project therefore examines acquisition contexts and the role of museums in the violent colonisation of Togo, focusing on the colonial stations “Bismarckburg” and “Misahöhe.” The aim is to break down the colonial logic inherent in the collec-tions and to revise colonial narratives. This is being done through archival research in Berlin and Lomé, joint workshops, and exchanges with actors from local communities in order to document their knowledge, perspectives, and memories of colonial collections and their significance.

Your tasks

• transdisciplinary provenance research on collections from the German colony of Togo in a joint research team and with partners in Togo and Ghana
• research into the provenance history and acquisition contexts of natural history and ethnological collections at the three participating museums, as well as research into the colonial actors involved
• research into the remaining museum holdings from the above-mentioned colonial stations by evaluating archival records and museum databases
  
• research on the history of the objects and their acquisition in their region of origin in collaboration with local representatives in Ghana and Togo; recording local memories and contexts of meaning in relation to selected collection objects
• strengthening and expanding research networks in Togo and Ghana
• communication and discussion of research results (internal + external)
• design and organisation of accompanying exchange formats, workshops, and an international online conference
• editing research results for migration into museum databases
• presentations at national and international conferences, final report
• preparing results for public relations work (Website, Social Media)
• planning of the public closing event

Your profile

• completed university degree in history, cultural and social anthropology, cultural studies, or related disciplines
• experience in provenance research on colonial contexts or comparable research
• certified expertise in colonial history and museum history, knowledge of the colonial history of Berlin's museums
• experience working with natural history and/or ethnological collections and museums
• work experience in interdisciplinary research teams
  
• desirable skills include proficiency in intercultural communication and experience collaborating with local communities
• presentation and publication experience
  
• experience in planning and implementing events
  
• experience in archival research with the ability to read old German handwriting (Sütterlin), knowledge of relevant archives in Berlin
  
• very good written and spoken German and English skills. Knowledge of French is a plus
• high level of teamwork and communication skills
  
• willingness to spend some weeks conducting research in Togo and Ghana
  

We offer you

• exciting working environment in an attractive research museum with varied tasks in a dynamic and future-orientated market
• very good public transport connections in the centre of Berlin
• extensive further training opportunities on a personal and professional level
• flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and family life (e.g. flexi-time or individual part-time models)
• depending on the job, mobile working is possible for up to 60 per cent of individual working hours
  
• remuneration according to TV-L with company pension scheme (VBL), special annual payment and capital-forming benefits
  
• employer subsidy for the “VBB Firmenticket” (company ticket) or “Deutschlandticket Job” (Germany ticket job)
• employee events, company health management and German and English language courses
  
• 30 days' holiday plus 24 December and 31 December off
  

Family Policy
The Museum für Naturkunde has set itself the goal of promoting a work-life balance and has been awarded the certificate berufundfamilie audit of berufundfamilie gGmbH - an initiative of the Hertie Foundation. Further information can be found under: https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en/uber-uns/jobs-und-karriere/arbeiten-am-museum-fur-naturkunde/reconciling-work-and-family-life-audit