Institute of Geography

Group Portrait

Dr. Ottavia Cima

Substitute for the Professorship (Heike Mayer)

Economic Geography

Phone
+41 31 684 52 30.
E-Mail
ottavia.cima@unibe.ch
Office
205
Postal Address
University of Bern
Institute of Geography
Hallerstrasse 12
CH-3012 Bern

Research

Current research project

Places that don’t matter? Socio-economic transformation of industrial towns in Switzerland and Slovenia (SNF Project).

Research interests

  • Diverse economies, postcapitalism
  • Industry, manufacturing
  • Agri-food systems
  • Regional expertise: Switzerland, Central Asia, Luxembourg, Nepal

Curriculum vitae

Work Experience
Since 2023
 Substitute for the Professorship (Heike Mayer)
2022-2023 Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
2020-2022

Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Luxembourg
2013-2018 Research and teaching assistant, Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg (CH)
2013

Junior advisor Governance and Peace, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, Zurich
2011-2012

Junior researcher, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, Zurich/Kathmandu
2009-2010

Teaching assistant, Department of Geography, University of Zurich
Education
2012 PhD in Geography, University of Fribourg (CH)
2016

Visiting scholar, American University of Central Asia, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
2013 M.Sc. in Geography, University of Zurich
2012

Swiss mobility exchange, University of Geneva
2010

B.Sc. in Geography, University of Zurich
2009-2010

Erasmus exchange, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Publications

Jump to: 2024 | 2023 | 2022

2024

Hilbrandt, Hanna; Bluwstein, Jevgeniy; Cima, Ottavia; Duplan, Karine; Marquardt, Nadine; Péaud, Laura; Pütz, Marco; Véron, René; Vorbrugg, Alexander (2024). Editorial: Expanding knowledge geographies. Geographica Helvetica, 79(3), pp. 239-240. Copernicus 10.5194/gh-79-239-2024

2023

Cima, Ottavia; Wasilewska, Ewa (2023). Sensing Urban Manufacturing: From Conspicuous to Sensible Production. Urban planning, 8(4) Cogitatio Press 10.17645/up.v8i4.7272

2022

Cima, Ottavia; Sovovà, Lucie (2022). The end of postsocialism (as we knew it): Diverse economies and the East. Progress in human geography, 46(6), pp. 1369-1390. Sage 10.1177/03091325221127295

Cima, Ottavia; Sippel, Charlotta; Schmid, Patricia (2022). Body-geographies of academia. Working with “Cuerpo-Territorio” in/at/with academia. Feministische Geo-RundMail(89)

Cima, Ottavia (2022). “…e com’è fare ricerca lì come donna?”. SAGW-Bulletin, p. 72. Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften

Earlier Publications

Publications

2021. “The ‘failure’ of cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan? A postcapitalist critique of a biased narrative”. Geographica Augustana, 33, 29-37. Link: https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/frontdoor/index/index/docId/89035

2020. “From failure to emancipation: the case for a feminist research practice”. Feministische Geo-RundMail, 83, 55-60. Link: https://ak-feministische-geographien.org/rundmail/

2020. Rethinking agricultural cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan: towards a postcapitalist approach to cooperation in postsocialism. Doctoral thesis. University of Fribourg. 10.51363/unifr.sth.2022.004

2015. “Expanding spaces of participation: insights from an infrastructural project in rural Nepal”. Geographica Helvetica, 70(4), 353-361. Link: https://www.geogr-helv.net/70/353/2015/gh-70-353-2015.pdf

2013. “Accountability at the local level in fragile contexts: Nepal case study”. IDS Working Paper 421. Brighton: Institute for Development Studies. Link: http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/Wp421.pdf

2013. The journey of accountability. Translating, negotiating and performing development in rural Nepal. Master’s thesis. University of Zurich.