Dr Marcelle Trote Martins

My research explores the intersections of visual politics, memory, trauma, and conflict, with a particular focus on how images and embodied experiences of war shape political responses and collective memory. My work brings together International Relations, trauma and memory studies, and visual culture to examine how conflict is represented, remembered, and contested across different contexts, including East Timor, Brazil, and the UK.Research Areas:
Visual Politics of War and Suffering – how images of ‘bodies-in-suffering’ shape international responses to violence and humanitarianism.
Memory, Trauma, and Post-Conflict Societies – the role of cultural memory and trauma in shaping reconciliation and political identity, with a focus on Timor-Leste.
Body Politics and Embodied Testimonies – how the body becomes a site of both violence and political resistance.
Global South Perspectives – situating research in East Timor and Brazil to expand debates beyond Euro-American perspectives.Monograph:Trote Martins, Marcelle. (2024). ‘Affective Imageries: Visual Politics of Wounded Bodies in Timor-Leste’. Lexington/Rowman & Littlefield.Peer-reviewed publications:Trote Martins, Marcelle. ‘Negotiating memories through language: an analysis of the choice of an official language during state-building in Timor-Leste’. Journal for Cultural Research, 2022.Kenkel, Kai. M.; Martins, Marcelle. T. ‘Emerging Powers and the notion of international responsibility: moral duty or shifting goalpost?’ Brazilian Political Science Review, 2016.Trote Martins, Marcelle. ‘The child as a political being: A discussion about the role of children in society’. Cadernos de Relações Internacionais, n. 1, 2016. (Portuguese).Under contract:Trote Martins, Marcelle and Gribble, Nicholas (eds). “Bodies of War: Rethinking (Post)Conflict Subjectivities and Societies”. Edinburgh University Press.Book Reviews:Book Review: ‘From the Ashes of History: Collective Trauma and the Making of International Politics’. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2023.Policy Briefs:Rodekirchen, Magdalena, Ul Haq, Sarah, Macgregor, Sherilyn and Trote Martins, Marcelle. ‘Gender in Evaluation for Socially Just Climate Finance’. University of Manchester, Norway’s International Climate and Forest Institute, GIZ, 2023.

I am a Lecturer in Critical Global Politics at the University of Manchester, with extensive teaching experience across UK universities. My teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels, covering international politics, development, security, and visual politics. I am committed to fostering inclusive and engaging learning environments, with a strong emphasis on student mentoring, innovative pedagogy, and connecting classroom teaching to real-world issues.In addition to module teaching, I have designed and convened extracurricular initiatives such as the International Relations and Politics Study Group and a Peer Mentoring Programme (Liverpool John Moores University).Current Teaching (2024/25):University of Manchester
Questions about International Politics (POLI20521)
EU Foreign Policy (POLI70851)
Security Studies (POLI20332)
Critical Approaches to International Politics (POLI70412)
Security Studies (POLI70462 – MA)University of Liverpool
The International System (POLI131 – MA)
Comparative Politics of the Middle East and North Africa (POLI215)Previous Teaching:Liverpool John Moores University (2022/23)
The Politics of War and Organised Violence (6108IRP)
Politics and Popular Culture (5109IRP)
International Organisations and Research Methods (5110IRP – MA)
Convenor of the IRP Study Group – Navigating Politics Through Visual NarrativesUniversity of Manchester (2019–2022):
Questions about International Politics (POLI20521)
Politics of (In)Security (POLI20332)
MSc in Humanitarian Practice (HCRI)
University of Liverpool (2019–2021)
Foreign Policy Analysis (POLI210)
Introduction to International Politics (POLI10601)
Politics of Development (POLI20722)
Leadership in Action (UCIL20031 & UCIL20032)

Interview with Asia Cast: 6 // Marcelle Trote, Sérgio Vieira de Mello e o Timor LesteInterview: I talked to @mayapaixao_ from @folha about language policies and the generational issue in the country 🇹🇱
Petróleo e conflito geracional desafiam Timor Leste 20 anos após Indpendência (Oil and generational conflict challenge East Timor 20 years after Independence).

Alongside my academic work, I have a deep appreciation for landscape and nature photography, which offers a space for attentiveness, quiet, and reflection; here are some examples of my work, and I hope you enjoy them.