curriculum vitae

General Information

Name: Sebastian Matthias Schlerka
Born: 27 August, 1986 in Cologne (Germany)
Contact:
Languages: German (native), English (C1), Spanish (B2), French (B1), Turkish (A1), Catalan (A1)

Work experience

since 2024 Post-doctoral researcher, RDC Qualiservice/Research Institute Social Cohesion, University of Bremen, Bremen (Germany).
Tasks: Curation of qualitative research data for long-term archiving and secondary analysis; counselling and support of primary researchers for archiving research data; interface communicator between IT and social science staff; post-doctoral research.
2021-2024 Freelance editor, proof reader and typesetter, Bielefeld (Germany).
Reference work:
Heinrich Wilhelm Schäfer (2021). Die Taufe des Leviathan. Protestantische Eliten und Politik in den USA und Lateinamerika, Bielefeld: Bielefeld University Press/Transcript. (Lectorate)
Peter Klimczak and Christer Petersen, eds. (2023). AI – Limits and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence, Bielefeld: Transcript. (Typesetting)
2012-2021 Research assistant, Center for the Interdisciplinary Research on Religion and Society (CIRRuS), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld (Germany).
Tasks: Lectorate, correctorate and technical processing for the publication of several books and papers (German and English, monographies up to 900 pages); assistance in the preparation of several applications for third-party funding; reseach on temporal aspects of praxeology.
2011 Internship, House for the History of the Ruhr/Institute for Social Movements, Bochum (Germany).
Internship in archive, library and research institute.

Education

2015-2020Dr. phil. in sociology at Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld (Germany).
Result: mit Auszeichnung (with distinction).
PhD thesis: Sprechen über den Islam: Die Objektivierung von Islam und MuslimInnen im Deutschen Bundestag. (Speaking about Islam: the objectification of Islam and Muslims in the debates of the German Bundestag). Ten-page summary (in German).
Advised by Heinrich Wilhelm Schäfer and Riem Spielhaus.
2011-2014 Master of Arts in sociology at Bielefeld University, Bielefeld (Germany).
Result: 1,0
Master's thesis: Säkularisierung als Konflikt: Entwurf eines feldtheoretischen Zugangs zu (De-)Säkularisierungsphänomenen (Secularisation as conflict: Outline of a field theoretical approach to (de-) secularisation phenomena).
Major fields of study: Sociological theory, sociology of religion, sociology of gender
2013 Semester abroad, Université de Rouen, Rouen (France).
Supported by the ERASMUS programme.
2008-2011 Bachelor of Arts in sociology and history at Bielefeld University, Bielefeld (Germany).
Result: 1,5
Bachelor's thesis: Bürger im Bürgerkrieg. Eine feldtheoretische Perspektive auf die spanische Revolution 1936-1939 (Citizens in the civil war: a field theoretical perspective on the Spanish revolution, 1936-1939).
Major fields of study: Sociological theory, sociology of knowledge, sociology of religion
2007-2008 Bachelor studies in German philology and history, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum (Germany).
Not graduated.
2005-2007 Abitur, Berufskolleg an der Lindenstraße, Cologne (Germany).
Result: 2,4
Examination subjects: Business administration with accounting, English, Business IT, Politics and history.

Prizes and scholarships

Voluntary work

since 2014 Mentor for Arbeiterkind.de, local group Bielefeld
Tasks: Holding presentations at schools in order to inform about the possibilities of studying at a university; presenting the group at exhibitions; several organisational tasks
2019-2020 Elected doctoral representative for sociology,Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology.
Tasks: Representation of the interests of PhD students to the university and the graduate school; participation in board meetings

Conference organisation

2017 Grappling with the Global: The Challenge of Boundaries in History and Sociology (9th BGHS Annual Seminar)
Member of the organising team
Conference report