Dr Marcelle Trote Martins

Lecturer in Critical Global Politics, University of Manchester

I am a Lecturer in Critical Global Politics at the University of Manchester (UoM) and a scholar of visual politics. I hold a PhD in Politics from the University of Manchester and master’s and undergraduate degrees in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). My research bridges international conflicts, security studies, and affect theory, with a particular focus on how visual and embodied experiences of war and displacement reconfigure political responses.

Research

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.

Book:

Affective Imageries: Visual Politics of Wounded Bodies in Timor-Leste analyzes the political mobilization of images of wounded bodies in conflict and post-conflict societies. The book goes beyond traditional analyses of visual politics to offer a new perspective on the construction of affective imageries by considering the importance of poems, photographs and artworks, and calling attention to other ways in which bodies can be affected by conflicts beyond the debate over the physical wounds of war. Connecting debates on visual politics affects and memory studies, and drawing lessons from the East Timorese case, Marcelle Trote Martins reveals how ‘affective imageries’ are created and mobilized, determining the status of the bodies shown in the images, and the kind of (international) attention they merit.

Teaching

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 (2025/26):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)Previous Teaching:University of Liverpool
The International System (POLI131 – MA)
Comparative Politics of the Middle East and North Africa (POLI215)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)

Media

The elected president of Timor-Leste, Xanana Gusmão, on the right, receives the country’s symbolic key, presented by Brazilian diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations Special Representative in the country. — Antonio Dasiparu, 16 May 2002 / AFP

Interview

I spoke with @mayapaixao_ from Folha de S.Paulo about language policies and generational dynamics in Timor-Leste. In the interview, we explored how decisions around language shape national identity and everyday life in the country, and how different generations experience these policies in distinct ways. You can read the full conversation on Folha’s website.

Interview with Asia Cast: 6 // Marcelle Trote, Sérgio Vieira de Mello e o Timor Leste

I was a guest on the sixth episode of ÁsiaCast, hosted by Thiago Mattos and Daniela Mazur, where I discussed my research on Timor-Leste, a small yet politically significant nation in Southeast Asia. In our conversation, we explored Timor-Leste’s central place in major power struggles over recent decades, as well as a distinctive feature that continues to spark curiosity and connection: it is the only country in the region where Portuguese is an official language.

Photography

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.