Call for Applications for Project Researchers: «Abundance, Freedom, and Limits in Latin America» – Institute of Global Value Inquiry

The Abundance, Freedom, and Limits Research Group invites applications from researchers to join an international research group focused on indigenous and alternative notions of abundance within diverse Latin American settings. Supported by the Institute of Global Value Inquiry (IGVI), this group seeks to nurture a global debate on political values by challenging the hegemonic ideology of growth and the political fabrication of scarcity. The research will explore how marginalized communities—including Indigenous, quilombola, Black, and peasant groups—practice and imagine abundance as a tool for social and ecological transformation.

Research focus

This project treats abundance as a political value entwined with two other core concepts:

1. Freedom: Moving beyond the modern link between freedom and the endless growth of material goods, to recover non-capitalist forms of autonomy.
2. Limits: Investigating practices of societal self-limitation that make an abundant planet possible, where limits are viewed as central—rather than opposed—to freedom.

Possible research questions and topics could include the following:

• What non-monetary and non-commodified forms of abundance are valued in different contexts? What political values make these forms possible?
• How, in these settings, is abundance related to the values of freedom and autonomy?
• How, in these settings, can abundance both sustain and be sustained by an ethical concern for ecological integrity?
• What spiritual principles, such as relations with nature spirits/owners, are central to abundance in these settings?
• What forms of societal self-limitations enable non-capitalist forms of abundance in different contexts? How, if relevant, are those mechanisms eroded?
• In which ways do alternative forms of abundance coexist with capitalist forms? Are there tensions, ambiguities or contradictions in this relationship?
• What can alternative forms of abundance offer for transforming the global economy into a more just economy within planetary boundaries?
• How can marginalized forms of abundance be strengthened to offer viable alternatives to capitalist accumulation and exploitation?
• What challenges have these forms of abundance faced in the past, and what are their main challenges today? How have people adapted their actions, and their political and ethical decisions?

Researcher profile & eligibility

In alignment with IGVI’s mission to empower scholars in the Global South, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Background: a PhD or doctorate in philosophy, political science, anthropology, sociology, or related humanities/social sciences. PhD candidates are also welcome to apply.
2. Applicants must be citizens of, and currently living and working in, a Latin American country.
3. Applicants should preferably be affiliated with an institution of higher education (university or other).
4. Demonstrated research experience in political values, decolonial theory, or indigenous philosophies.
5. Proficiency in Spanish and English is necessary (C1 level or above). Proficiency in Portuguese and Indigenous languages desirable.

Expectations and opportunities

The Abundance, Freedom and Limits Research Group will operate from September 2026 until April 2030. Selected researchers will be funded by IGVI through a monthly stipend, the amount of which depends on their doctoral status and alternative income sources: € 800–€ 1,500 for those with a PhD, and € 500–€ 1,000 for those without. The stipend holders will become part of a growing globally collaborative network. They will be expected to:

1. start research activities in September 2026, or as early as possible after that;
2. participate in quarterly online meetings and an annual week-long intensive session with other team members to build common theoretical ground;
3. write a brief annual report on the progress of their individual research project and contribute to the group’s final report on the four-year project;
4. publish their results in high-impact academic journals;
5. present their findings at IGVI conferences and help organize one annual conference in collaboration with the research group leader;
6. engage in intellectual exchange with local communities to share results in accessible formats.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit the following to info@igvi.org:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) of no more than three pages.
2. Cover letter explaining why you wish to join IGVI (max. 1 page)
3. Research statement: A brief research proposal (max. 1,000 words) outlining a research project related to abundance, freedom, and limits in Latin America. We welcome both empirically grounded case studies and theoretical or conceptual approaches that engage meaningfully with Latin American contexts.
4. Two or three published articles (preferably peer-reviewed), book chapters, and/or monographs, containing results of research related to the call.

All materials should be submitted in English, in a single pdf by Augst 9^st, under the subject “[Surname] – Abundance, freedom and limits research group application”. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the end of August

If you have any questions about this position, please contact Dr. Gabriela Cabaña at gabi.cabana@igvi.org.

Call for Applications: