Dr Naama Blatman-Thomas
Scientia Fellow (Level C)
PhD, 2019 - Ben-Gurion University, Politics and Government
M.A., 2011 - Tel-Aviv University, Sociology & Anthropology
B.A., 2007 - Tel-Aviv University, Political Science, Sociology & Anthropology
Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
Cities Institute
Naama Blatman is a Senior Lecturer and Scientia Fellow at the Cities Institute. She is an urban and political geographer researching across both Israel/Palestine and Australia. Naama’s work focuses on Indigenous land politics, planning and development, and infrastructural transformation in settler cities. She applies a comparative lens and works collaboratively with Indigenous communities to interrogate how settler colonial structures continue to impact urban life and how these structures can be and are intervened, reimagined and reconstituted towards liberatory and racially just futures.
Before joining UNSW, Naama held a research position at Western Sydney University (2022-2024), and a lecturer position at The University of Sydney (2019-2022). Naama is an alumnus of the Urban Studies Foundation (USF) Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020-2023).
Naama is an Editor of Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
E-mail
Location
UNSW Cities Institute
Room 218, John Goodsell Building
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
ARC LP240200639, Aboriginal-led pathways to community benefit on Aboriginal land (2026-2029)
Urban Studies Foundation Event Support (2024-2025)
Urban Studies Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2020-2023)
The Henry Halloran Trust/ Research Seminar and Publication Scheme, The University of Sydney (Rogers D, Morton A, Troy L, Blatman N, Altun S) (2021)
Antipode Scholar-Activist Award (2019-2020)
I am currently undertaking research in three main areas:
First, through collaborations with First Nations communities and organisations, we examine access to and activation of land rights, and land politics and relations in settler-colonial cities and how they play out vis-a-vis government policies, planning and development and financialisation processes. I am also undertaking research into the histories and political, economic geographies of 'infrastructural reparations' in NSW.
Second, I am researching and writing about prison expansion in Australia. In particular, how urbanisation and prison development are interconnected historically and currently, the political economies of prison expansion and prison restructuring, the re-imagined futures of decommissioned prisons.
Third, methodologically I am focusing on the role of storytelling and lived experiences in urban development, particularly as tools for intervening in urban processes to achieve more equitable and just cities.
Professional
Current
Editor, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
Committee Member, Australasian Cities Research Network
Past
Co-convenor, The Institute of Australian Geographers, Urban Geography Study Group (2021-2024)
Co-convenor, The Institute of Australian Geographers, Indigenous Peoples' Knowledges and Rights Study Group (2019-2020)
Other
Advisory Committee Member, Jewish Council of Australia (https://www.jewishcouncil.com.au/).
My Teaching
I currently convene and teach PLAN1003: Urban Society, History, Theory