Jelena Cupać

Jelena Cupać is a Visiting Researcher at the Research Department Global Governance of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute (EUI, 2016), preceded by an MRes (EUI, 2012), MA in International Relations from Central European University (2011), and BA/MA equivalent from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences (2010).

• Key Affiliations: WZB Berlin, EUI, CEU
• Research Foci: Global governance structures, political narratives, gender politics in international organizations, and contestations of liberal norms

Her research explores how emotions and narratives shape global governance dynamics, with particular attention to backlash politics against feminist frameworks in UN contexts and the Western Balkans’ geopolitical positioning. Recent work interrogates intersections of AI ethics and patriarchal structures under illiberal regimes.

Publications span flagship journals like International Affairs and British Journal of Politics and IR, focusing on norm diffusion, institutional legitimacy, and transnational advocacy networks. She contributes to debates on liberal order crisis through narrative analysis and emotional dimensions of international relations.

No academic awards or grants explicitly listed, though her extensive peer-reviewed output indicates strong research impact. Advising roles not mentioned in provided materials.

Active in interdisciplinary research teams within WZB’s Global Governance unit, engaging with policy-oriented scholarship on contemporary global challenges.