Cathrine Bublatzky

Dr. Cathrine Bublatzky is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tübingen. She previously held a long-term academic position at the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies, where she worked from 2009 to 2022 as a Scientific Staff Member and Assistant Professor. Her academic journey includes a Magister Artium in Anthropology from Heidelberg University (2008), a PhD completed in 2014 on the traveling art exhibition Indian Highway, and ongoing habilitation research on Iranian photography and migration.

Education:

• Magister Artium in Anthropology, Heidelberg University (2008)
• PhD (Promotion) in Anthropology, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (2014)
• Habilitandin in Ethnology, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (since 2020)
• Baden-Württemberg Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (2021)

Dr. Bublatzky’s research lies at the intersection of visual and media anthropology, transcultural studies, and contemporary art. Her work critically examines how art, photography, and digital media shape and reflect experiences of migration, identity, and belonging. She focuses on transcultural visual practices, especially in South Asia (India), the Middle East (Iran), and Europe. Her ethnographic approach explores the politics of representation in global art exhibitions, the role of archives in migration, and the aesthetics of diasporic communities. She is particularly interested in how visual media serve as sites of resistance, memory, and negotiation in exile contexts.

Her recent publications reveal a strong thematic continuity in examining transcultural dissonances, visual archives of migration, and the role of art in postmigration societies. Her monograph Along the Indian Highway (2019) is a foundational ethnographic study of an international art exhibition, and her co-edited volume (Un)Sighted Archives of Migration (2022) has been recognized with an award. Her articles analyze censorship, curatorial strategies, and the materiality of visual knowledge, especially in the context of Iranian and Indian diasporas.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Awarded for book publication (Un)Sighted Archives of Migration—Spaces of Encounter and Resistance (2022)
• Stipendiatin, Elite PostDoc Program, Baden-Württemberg Stiftung (since 2017)
• Baden-Württemberg Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (2021)

Dr. Bublatzky is actively involved in academic leadership, currently serving as Co-Speaker of the Visual Anthropology Working Group of the German Society for Social and Cultural Anthropology (DGSKA) since 2021. She previously led the DFG-funded scientific network Entangled Histories of Art and Migration (2018–2022). She has no listed advisees, but her collaborative editorial projects suggest mentorship and academic coordination roles. Her research is supported by institutional and foundation funding, indicating active grant engagement.

Labs and Research Teams:
She has been affiliated with key research centers including the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies and the Exzellenzcluster „Asien und Europe im Globalen Kontext“. She co-founded and led the DFG network on art and migration and contributed to digital research platforms in visual anthropology. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with artists, curators, and anthropologists.