Professor Roland Bleiker
Professor

Roland Bleiker

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 51068

Background

Roland is Professor of International Relations and Coordinator of the Visual Politics Research Program. His research explores how images and emotions shape political phenomena, including humanitarianism, security, peacebuilding, protest movements and the conflict in Korea. Books include Visual Global Politics (Routledge, 2018); Aesthetics and World Politics (Palgrave, 2009/2012); Divided Korea: Toward a Culture of Reconciliation (University of Minnesota Press, 2005/2008) and Popular Dissent, Human Agency and Global Politics (CUP, 2000).

Roland’s main current research project is an interdisciplinary ARC Linkage collaboration (2022-2026) on The Politics and Ethics of Visualising Humanitarian Crises. The project involves eight researchers and the World Press Photo Foundation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Australian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Roland grew up in Zürich, Switzerland, where he was educated and worked as a lawyer. He studied international relations in Paris, Seoul, Toronto, Vancouver and Canberra. Roland also worked for two years in a Swiss diplomatic mission in the Korean DMZ and held visiting affiliations at Harvard, Cambridge, Humboldt, Tampere, Yonsei and Pusan National University as well as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Further informatin can be found on Roland''s personal website:

For an in-person or zoom appointment book here: https://calendly.com/bleiker

Selection of Recent Publications

“Decolonising Affect" Cooperation and Conflict (2024)

“Un-Disciplining the International” Alternatives: Local, Global, Political (2023)

"Visualizing International Relations” Journal of Visual Political Communication, 10,(2023

"Visual Violence" Interview with Brad Evans, Los Angeles Review of Books, 3 Jan 2022.

Availability

Professor Roland Bleiker is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Government and politics of Asia and the Pacific Human Society International relations Language, Communication and Culture Political science

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto
  • Masters (Coursework), The University of British Columbia
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Research interests

  • International Relations: Visual Politics and Emotions

    Theories of International Relations. How images and emotions shape political phenomena, including security, diplomacy and humanitarian crises.

  • Peace and Conflict Studies

    Conflict resolution in societies divided by trauma. Transnational social movements and the conceptualisation of political change. Art and literature as sources of political transformation.

  • Politics and Security in Korea

    Security and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, including policy-relevant debates.

Research impacts

Much of my work has revolved around combining theory and practice. I embark on conceptual inquires to rethink entrenched political dillemas. At the moment my main practice-oriented reserach is a four year collaborative project on The Politics and Ethics of Visualising Humanitarian Crises. Funded through an ARC Linkage Grant (2022-2025) this project aims to draw on the power of images to transform practices and policies of aid. In particular, the project develops – and tests - alternative visual strategies that depict humanitarian crises in ways that encourage compassion for victims without entrenching problematic stereotypes. We work with four prominent Partner Organisations that are at the forefront of humanitarian and photojournalistic work: The World Press Photo Foundation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Australian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. The project team consists of myself and five other Chief Investigators: A/Prof Emma Hutchison, from the School of Political Science and International Studies; Prof Matthew Hornsey and Dr Cassandra Chapman from the UQ Business School, as well as A/Prof Sana Nakata from the University of Melbourne and Prof Bina D’Costa from the Australian National University. Involved as well are two Partner Investigators: Prof Fiona Terry, Head of Research at the ICRC, and Prof David Campbell, formerly Director of Communication at World Press Photo and now with The VII Foundation.

Search Professor Roland Bleiker’s works on UQ eSpace

195 works between 1993 and 2025
All (195) Journal Article (100) Book Chapter (79) Conference Publication (3) Book (8) Other Outputs (2) Edited Outputs (3)

121 - 140 of 195 works

2007

Book Chapter

Postmodernism

Bleiker, Roland (2007). Postmodernism. An introduction to international relations: Australian perspectives. (pp. 86-95) edited by Richard Devetak, Anthony Burke and Jim George. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Postmodernism

2006

Journal Article

Comparative and International Politics: Review of Cultural Governance and Resistance in Pacific Asia by William A. Callahan

Bleiker, Roland (2006). Comparative and International Politics: Review of Cultural Governance and Resistance in Pacific Asia by William A. Callahan. Australian Journal of Political Science, 41 (4), 656-657. doi: 10.1080/10361140600959858

Comparative and International Politics: Review of Cultural Governance and Resistance in Pacific Asia by William A. Callahan

2006

Journal Article

Searching for difference in a homogeneous discipline: Book review of International Relations and the Problem of Difference

Bleiker, Roland (2006). Searching for difference in a homogeneous discipline: Book review of International Relations and the Problem of Difference. International Studies Review, 8 (1), 128-130.

Searching for difference in a homogeneous discipline: Book review of International Relations and the Problem of Difference

2006

Book Chapter

The contradictions of 'hawk engagement': An analysis of Washington's Korea policy

Bleiker, R (2006). The contradictions of 'hawk engagement': An analysis of Washington's Korea policy. Bush and Asia: America's evolving relationship with East Asia. (pp. 196-212) edited by Mark Beeson. London and New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. doi: 10.4324/9780203965078

The contradictions of 'hawk engagement': An analysis of Washington's Korea policy

2006

Journal Article

Nationalism with a global face: Review of Nairn, Tom and Paul James, Global Matrix: Nationalism, Globalism and State-Terrorism

Bleiker, Roland (2006). Nationalism with a global face: Review of Nairn, Tom and Paul James, Global Matrix: Nationalism, Globalism and State-Terrorism. Australian Book Review (282), 22-22.

Nationalism with a global face: Review of Nairn, Tom and Paul James, Global Matrix: Nationalism, Globalism and State-Terrorism

2006

Book Chapter

Remembering and Forgetting the Korean War: From Trauma to Reconciliation

Bleiker, R and Hoang, Y (2006). Remembering and Forgetting the Korean War: From Trauma to Reconciliation. Memory, Trauma and World Politics: Reflections on the Relationship Between Past and Present. (pp. 195-212) edited by D.Bell. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK; New York, USA: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9780230627482

Remembering and Forgetting the Korean War: From Trauma to Reconciliation

2006

Book Chapter

Aesthetic turn in international political theory

Bleiker, Roland (2006). Aesthetic turn in international political theory. Approaches to international relations: Realism. (pp. 297-321) edited by Stephen Chan and Cerwyn Moore. London, U.K.; New York: Sage Publications.

Aesthetic turn in international political theory

2006

Journal Article

Book Review: Ellen W. Gorsevski, Peaceful Persuasion: the geopolitics of nonviolent rhetoric

Bleiker, R. (2006). Book Review: Ellen W. Gorsevski, Peaceful Persuasion: the geopolitics of nonviolent rhetoric. Journal of Peace Education, 3 (1), 117-118.

Book Review: Ellen W. Gorsevski, Peaceful Persuasion: the geopolitics of nonviolent rhetoric

2006

Journal Article

From the sublime to the subliminal: Fear, awe and wonder in international politics

Bleiker, Roland and Leet, Martin (2006). From the sublime to the subliminal: Fear, awe and wonder in international politics. Millennium-journal of International Studies, 34 (3), 713-737. doi: 10.1177/03058298060340031201

From the sublime to the subliminal: Fear, awe and wonder in international politics

2006

Journal Article

How to deal with rogues: Review of Renegade Regimes: Confronting Deviant Behavior in World Politics. By Miroslav Nincic

Bleiker, Roland (2006). How to deal with rogues: Review of Renegade Regimes: Confronting Deviant Behavior in World Politics. By Miroslav Nincic. International Studies Review, 8 (2), 303-305. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2486.2006.00581.x

How to deal with rogues: Review of Renegade Regimes: Confronting Deviant Behavior in World Politics. By Miroslav Nincic

2006

Journal Article

Art after 9/11

Bleiker, R. (2006). Art after 9/11. Alternatives, 31 (1), 77-99. doi: 10.1177/030437540603100104

Art after 9/11

2005

Journal Article

War and genocide: Organized killing in modern society

Bleiker, R. (2005). War and genocide: Organized killing in modern society. Australian Journal Of Political Science, 40 (3), 478-479.

War and genocide: Organized killing in modern society

2005

Journal Article

Review of: Ordering international politics: Identity, crisis and representational force by Janice Bially Mattern

Bleiker, R. (2005). Review of: Ordering international politics: Identity, crisis and representational force by Janice Bially Mattern. Millennium, 33 (3), 904-905. doi: 10.1177/03058298050330031009

Review of: Ordering international politics: Identity, crisis and representational force by Janice Bially Mattern

2005

Book Chapter

Order and Disorder in World Politics

Bleiker, R. (2005). Order and Disorder in World Politics. International Society and its Critics. (pp. 179-192) edited by Alex J. Bellamy. United States of America: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/0199265208.003.0011

Order and Disorder in World Politics

2005

Book Chapter

Seattle and the struggle for a global democratic ethos.

Bleiker, R. (2005). Seattle and the struggle for a global democratic ethos.. Critical Theories, International Relations and 'the Anti-Globalisation Movement'. The Politics of Global Resistance. (pp. 195-211) edited by Catherine Eschle and Bice Maiguashca. United States of America: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203428016

Seattle and the struggle for a global democratic ethos.

2005

Book Chapter

Writing human agency after the death of God

Bleiker, R. (2005). Writing human agency after the death of God. The Global Resistance Reader. (pp. 92-98) edited by Louise Amoore. London : New York: Routledge.

Writing human agency after the death of God

2005

Book Chapter

Of things we hear but cannot see: Musical explorations of international politics.

Bleiker, R. (2005). Of things we hear but cannot see: Musical explorations of international politics.. Resounding International Relations: On Music, Culture and Politics. (pp. 179-195) edited by M. I. Franklin. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Of things we hear but cannot see: Musical explorations of international politics.

2005

Book Chapter

Alternatives to Peacekeeping in Korea: The Role of Non-State Actors and Face-to-Face Encounters

Bleiker, R. (2005). Alternatives to Peacekeeping in Korea: The Role of Non-State Actors and Face-to-Face Encounters. Peace Operations and Global Order. (pp. 143-159) edited by Alex J. Bellamy and Paul Williams. United States of America: Routledge.

Alternatives to Peacekeeping in Korea: The Role of Non-State Actors and Face-to-Face Encounters

2005

Book Chapter

Political boundaries, poetic transgressions

Bleiker, R. (2005). Political boundaries, poetic transgressions. The Global Resistance Reader. (pp. 411-422) edited by Louise Amoore. London and New York: Routledge.

Political boundaries, poetic transgressions

2005

Journal Article

Human remolding in North Korea: A social history of education

Bleiker, R. (2005). Human remolding in North Korea: A social history of education. Pacific Affairs, 78 (4), 670-671.

Human remolding in North Korea: A social history of education

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2026
    Visualising humanitarian crises: transforming images and aid policy
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2028
    Developing UQ as a central hub for nurturing the next generation of Korean Studies education, research and regional cooperation for Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia
    The Academy of Korean Studies
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2011 - 2014
    How Images Shape Responses to Humanitarian Crises
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1 - Dr James Brassett
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1 - Prof Iver B Neumann
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1, David Campbell
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    Mediating Across Difference: Asian and Oceanic Approaches to Security and Conflict
    The Japan Foundation, Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2005
    Towards an Aesthetics of Peace at at Time of War: Alternative Understandings and Responses to Global Terrorism
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2002
    From Confrontation to Cooperation in Korea: The Role of Identity in the Formation of Security Policy
    United States Institute of Peace
    Open grant
  • 1999
    Rethinking security and ethics in divided nations.
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Roland Bleiker is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Visualising Sri Lanka's Humanitarian Crises

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Picturing climate migration: critiquing the visual discourse

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Karen McNamara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Feeling Nation-States: Emotions and Belonging in the Making of Postcolonial Nation-States

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Heloise Weber

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Political Power of Cinema: Historical Trauma and Transitional Justice in East and Southeast Asia

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Picturing climate migration: critiquing the visual discourse

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Karen McNamara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Intractable Conflict and Self-Sacrifice in Interpersonal Mediation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg

  • Master Philosophy

    Self-Sacrifice and Intractable Conflict

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Roland Bleiker directly for media enquiries about:

  • Anti-globalisation critique
  • International relations and security
  • Korea - peace and security
  • New social movements
  • Peace and conflict issues
  • Peace and conflict studies
  • Peace and security in Korea

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