Please introduce yourself and the background of your stay as Research Fellow in Tübingen in one or two sentences.

My name is Dr. Rachel Macreadie, and I am a public policy and health communications researcher. I first came to Tübingen with my partner ten years ago and it is a place that we keep returning to for its charm, intellectual energy and interdisciplinary sprit.

Which problem or question does your research address and what fascinates you about your research area?

Last year, the state of Victoria in Australia negotiated Australia’s first Treaty between First Peoples in Victoria and the Victorian Government. This was a historic moment that came in the context of the failed 2023 federal referendum to give a Voice to Indigenous people. The relationship between First Nations people and the Victorian Government regarding climate policy has shifted significantly over the last decade, moving from a “consultative” model toward one which is theoretically grounded in self-determination, Treaty, and the recognition of Traditional Owner rights. Here, climate action is increasingly viewed not just as an environment necessity, but as a vehicle for restorative justice. 

As someone who previously worked within the legislative arm of government, I am fascinated by the gradual move toward participatory approaches in governance, and to bringing awareness into how these approaches can be more genuine and effective. I aim to closely examine how existing Victorian policy processes and structures facilitate or hinder the integration of First Nations’ approaches to “peacemaking with nature”. I intend to identify key points of tension and potential synergies when embedding Indigenous concepts of relationality and responsibility to Country into Victorian state policy, legislation, and environmental management practices.

Please briefly outline the social relevance of your research.

The world is facing unprecedented and rapid climate change, which is eroding the health of people and their environment. There is growing recognition in many parts of the world of the need for Indigenous-led approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Climate mitigation policies and practices that are not developed in consultation with Indigenous communities and with an awareness of Indigenous knowledge systems, often risk being ineffective, can lead to the further marginalisation of Indigenous peoples, and miss critical knowledge systems that have been caried through generations.

Where do you see future opportunities for international and interdisciplinary cooperation for the university, and what role can an institution like the College of Fellows play in this? 

Specific to the Global Encounters “Making Peace with Nature” focus group that I am proud to join, the CoF brings together international fellows to co-create knowledge that challenges Western-centric histories and focuses on the resilience of communities across the Global South and North. Research at the CoF is not just intellectually stimulating and interdisciplinary, but addresses issues of urgent global and social relevance.

Please introduce yourself and the background of your stay as Research Fellow in Tübingen in one or two sentences.

I am a Cuban-Canadian historian of Latin American arts and culture. As Research Fellow, I will continue investigating the role of the arts in race and nation-making processes that unfold translationally.

Which problem or question does your research address and what fascinates you about your research area?

How and why ideas and actions that are not possible in political and social life become possible in the realm of the arts.

Please briefly outline the social relevance of your research.

My research project Black Art in Cold War focuses on the transnational dimensions of Afro-Cuban arts through an examination of the participation of Afrodescendant artists in the art exchanges that took place between Cuba and the Eastern European Socialist Bloc (EESB) between 1961-1989. I use a novel approach that interlaces micro-historical, visual art, and musicological methods, and I base the research on a wide range of multinational and multifaceted archival and oral history sources to advance the fields of Cold War history, Afro-Latin American Arts, and Cuban and Eastern European history. The project contributes to scholars’ recent efforts to de-center the Cold War away from the superpowers’ economic and political conflict, instead focusing on the circulation of art production and ideologies of race between the EESB and the Global South. It highlights the transnational character of Eastern European art histories while illuminating on the significant yet understudied artistic production and social contributions of Afro-Latin American artists. Ultimately, this research unveils the political significance of the arts as a unique realm to address issues of race and racism.

Where do you see future opportunities for international and interdisciplinary cooperation for the university, and what role can an institution like the College of Fellows play in this? 

The College of Fellows’s Focus Groups offer a privileged opportunity for dialogue grounded in engaged pluralism and cultural exchange. By bringing together fellows from all over the world with academic backgrounds ranging from biology to history, they foster the development of novel ideas rooted in interdisciplinarity. Beyond the College, the university serves as a vital hob for international collaboration through centers such as the Brazil and Latin America Center and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies.