Bianka Vidonja Balanzategui

Dr Bianka Vidonja Balanzategui is an adjunct lecturer in History in the College of Arts, Society and Education at James Cook University. She supervises at undergraduate level and is an active researcher in global sugar industry and Australian migration history. Her research aligns with JCU’s tropical agenda, focussing on two key themes: industries and economies in the tropics and people and societies in the tropics Bianka’s work has been published in high quality journals and books and is deposited in full with JCU Research Online.

Bianka’s honours thesis published by James Cook University and reprinted by Boolarong Press as Gentlemen of the Flashing Blade originated from her personal and academic interest in the history of labour in the Australian sugar industry in the context of post-World War 2 displaced persons migration.

Her masters thesis was an extension of this interest in the Australia sugar industry, with the subject being the material culture of the Queensland sugar industry. It expanded on research Bianka conducted for a report funded by James Cook University and a National Estate Grant.

Bianka’s PhD thesis Small sugar farmer agency in the tropics 1872 -1914 and the anomalous Herbert River Farmers’ Association examined Australian sugar farmer associational behaviour locating it in its global context. The findings of this thesis were presented at the international conference of the European Rural History Organization on rural representation in the countryside in Leuven in Belgium in 2017.

Bianka’s interest in the role of women within the Australian sugar industry was initiated by her personal circumstances as a sugar farmer’s wife and a request from the Centre for Basque Studies, University of Nevada to contribute a piece, ‘Basking in a Different Sun: The Story of Conchi Mendiolea’, to an anthology, Amatxi, Amuma, Amono: Writings in Honor of Basque Women. Consequently, Bianka has researched and published a Conversation piece on Melanesian indentured labourer Annie Etinside (co-authored with Dr Claire Brennan) and an article on "Female Invisibility in the Male's World of Plantation-Era Tropical North Queensland." For Lilith: A Feminist History Journal.

Bianka continues to research the history of the Australian sugar industry, with her current research interest extending the examination of fictional sugar industry literature, precursed in Gentlemen of the Flashing Blade. Currently she is researching Welsh born John Naish, author and playwright which has resulted in cross-disciplinary collaborations with Associate Professor Victoria Kuttainen and Associate Professor (Adjunct) Cheryl Taylor.

Bianka has over 30 years’ experience in historical research with proven experience in community collaboration on historical consultancy projects and recognized for timely completion of consultancies. Her consultancy work has included researching and writing story boards for installations and historical walks. Her work has given inspiration for, or material to, an ABC documentary, a play, a Queensland travelling photographic exhibition and an art installation in San Sebastian, Spain. She is regularly invited to be a guest speaker and conduct tours. She has been interviewed for radio discussions and appeared in television documentaries as historical expert.