James Blackwell is a proud Wiradyuri man from Boorowa in regional NSW. He is a Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy at the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, as well a PhD Candidate within the School’s IR Department.

James’ PhD and broader research work is focused on exploring how First Nations peoples across this continent understand, practice, and participate in diplomacy & international relations, and whether First Nations practices and knowledges can be better utilised in International Relations theory and Foreign Policy practice.

His work also has a focus on advancing Indigenous knowledges and perspectives into spaces within policy, higher education, and International Relations, that have previously been built around the exclusion of Indigenous voices, to hopefully create a greater presence for his community.

He is a member of the Uluru Dialogue at UNSW, and worked extensively to support the Uluru Statement From the Heart, campaigning/educating across regional NSW, Victoria and the ACT during the 2023 referendum campaign.