Atlas: France > Mexico and Central America

The Fondation Maison des sciences de l'homme (FMSH) and the Centre des Etudes Mexicaines et Centraméricaines (CEMCA) are offering post-doctoral fellows residing in France a mobility grant for a two-month research stay in Mexico or Central America (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize) who have defended their thesis from 2018.

Research projects will be supported that are in line with CEMCA's scientific policy, in synergy with its researchers or partners. Interdisciplinary projects are welcome.

This call is part of the Atlas programme for short-term postdoctoral mobility launched by the FMSH and its partners.

Financial terms and conditions

A financial aid of 3000€ per stay (paid in two monthly instalments) is awarded to the winners. It is intended to cover the cost of the stay.

In partnership with CEMCA, the University of Paris will cover the cost of the return airfare.

Eligibility criteria

Nationality/residence: be a citizen of a European Union country and reside in France

Degree/status: be a postdoctoral fellow in SHS and have defended his/her thesis at the earliest in 2018. Be associated with a research center / laboratory in France.

Discipline: be engaged in research in the humanities and social sciences and work on at least one or more Central American countries and Mexico. Particular attention will be paid to projects that are in line with the themes addressed by CEMCA, without being exclusive.

These themes are 4 in number:

• Cities and metropolisations (city practices, accessibility and inequalities within metropolises)
• Pre-Hispanic societies and environments
• Heritages, practices and representations (bio-cultural heritages, knowledge and politics of nature; linguistic complexity and transmission of knowledge; artistic practice, heritage and digital)
• Social and political dynamics (migrations, mobilities, borders and geopolitics; bodies and violence)

Language: fluency in Spanish.

Obligations of researchers hosted at CEMCA

Researchers hosted at CEMCA are required to reside in one of the countries covered by CEMCA: Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize). Researchers residing in Mexico City participate in the scientific life of the French Institute, where they have a work space. The others are strongly encouraged to come and present their work at least once.

At the end of their stay, researchers must submit to the FMSH and CEMCA a report of between 10,000 and 20,000 characters (including spaces and notes) presenting the activities carried out during their stay and their contribution to their research project.

Application form

Applicants must submit a form and a scientific file (research project + annexes) on an online platform. The online platform will be accessible from 15 January 2024. The complete applications must be uploaded on the online platform at the latest on March 18, 2024, 17:00 (Paris time).

The application form and the scientific file must be submitted in French.

Content of the scientific file

The research project: The research project (between 10,000 and 20,000 characters maximum) must include precisely the steps that the candidate intends to accomplish during his/her stay, the theoretical and methodological framework, the institutional partners involved in the research.

Attachments:

• A signed letter of motivation, explaining the reasons for the stay in one of the countries covered by CEMCA, the links that will be established with CEMCA and the scientific partners of interest for the research project in Mexico and Central America
• A CV of maximum 2 pages with a list of publications
• A letter from the director of the laboratory/research center with which the candidate is associated in France

How to apply?

1. Go to http://calls.msh-paris.fr and enter the Researcher Workspace
2. Log in if you have already created an account, if not, create an account
3. Fill in your profile and click on "create a new application"
4. Select "Atlas outgoing 2024 Program" then the specific call "FMSH-CEMCA: France > Mexico and Central America"
5. Fill in all the tabs of the form
6. In the "Documents" tab, upload a single electronic document in pdf format containing the following documents
   • Research project
   • Signed cover letter
   • CV of maximum 2 pages and list of publications
   • Letter from the director of the laboratory / research center with which the applicant is associated in France
7. You can save your application without submitting it and come back to it later, or you can submit it permanently. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. Please note that if your application is not submitted it will not be considered. Applications that are incomplete or do not match the description above will not be considered.

For any information on the platform, or in case of difficulty in using it, contact fadili@msh-paris.fr

Selection criteria and process

A selection committee composed of members of the FMSH and CEMCA and external experts will analyze and select applications based on the following elements

• The quality of the scientific file and the methodology developed
• The relevance of going to Mexico or Central America with respect to the project developed and the researcher's background
• The ability to identify scientific contacts on site

Researchers who have never benefited from the program will be given preference.