1. Do-It-Yourself Transition (DIY) and Circles of Knowledge: Stories of Transgender Healthcare Beyond the Clinic

Host 

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin 

Duration 

36 months 

The research 

The selected applicant will develop their own research project along the following objectives (although the proposal does not have to be limited to these objectives):  

1. To trace the development of care networks for hormone transition in trans communities from the mid-20th century until the end of the century
2. To explore practices and routines of transitioning outside of medicalized and pathologizing contexts
3. To better understand why people have sought healthcare services outside of formalized institutions and to analyse particularities of DIY practices
4. To explore how DYI practices shaped embodied, phenomenological, and social understandings ofsex and gender
5. To map historical conceptualizations of sex and gender beyond the binary, specifically self-understandings that were incompatible with the binary framework dominant in institutional contexts of medicine
6. To compare transition trajectories inside and outside the clinic to analyse how institutional medical routines and disorganized care networks in different ways shaped biopsychosocial conceptualizations of gender 

Various methodological approaches are welcome, but an important role is expected to be played by oral history. It is important that applicants demonstrate the feasibility of their project in their proposal by providing a research plan and/or preliminary research.  

Your experience

Candidates should have:

• A Master’s degree in history or equivalent. The degree must have been obtained by the application deadline. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English 
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position 
• Good collaboration skills andability to work independently 
• Excellent higher education track record and scientific curiosity 

The following experience would be valuable, but is not essential:  

• Experience with research with trans communities/marginalized groups 
• Knowledge of German (the working language at the institute) 

The position 

A Doctoral Research Fellowship in the History of Medicine is available at the Charité – Institute of the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine. The selected applicant will be enrolled in the PhD program at the Charité and complete the course work as part of the Gender-InSIGHT network. The applicant will develop their own dissertation project and work independently to conduct the research and complete the doctoral thesis within the 36 months position. The selected applicant will be based in Berlin and should take part in the routine and duties of the institute. During the course of the PhD position, a secondment is planned at IHLIA LGBT Heritage in Amsterdam.