In her project, Heide Bruckner aims to give a voice to the people of the Fiji and Solomon Islands in the Pacific. She is focusing on the relationship between the people and the mangrove forests of their homeland as a key element in the protection of these valuable ecosystems.
Silvana Weiss is investigating how the factor of time influences opportunities and fairness in the world of work. Her research centres on the question of how organisational demands, in conjunction with individuals’ available time, create, reinforce or reduce inequalities.
Rector Peter Riedler congratulates the two researchers and is delighted with this great success: “The University of Graz supports promising talents in realising their full potential. Securing international funding is of great importance to the University and to Graz as a centre of science.”
Indigenous narratives against colonial narratives
Fiji and the Solomon Islands are home to the largest mangrove forests in the Pacific. These ecosystems fulfil vital functions in climate protection. On the one hand, they capture carbon from the atmosphere; on the other, they protect coastlines from erosion and flooding as sea levels rise. Yet their protection cannot be taken for granted. In Fiji, mangrove forests are to make way for sandy beaches for tourists. In the Solomon Islands, they must give way to transport routes for timber exports by Malaysian and Chinese companies. Even during British colonial rule, mangrove forests were cleared to build harbours along the coast.
“Drawing on archival research, we will take a critical look at this legacy and highlight how it continues to have an impact on the economy and society to this day,” explains Heide Bruckner. She wants the islanders to tell their own stories – about their traditions, experiences and emotions – which have bound their communities to the mangroves for centuries. These stories are intended to empower people to shape their own futures. “After all, our relationship with a landscape influences the way we treat it. We must perceive nature with all our senses in order to deepen our relationship with it and our care for it,” emphasises Heide Bruckner.
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Researcher investigates the influence of time in the world of work
Submission deadlines, project deadlines, work rota, but also personal circumstances – time plays a central role in working life. Social scientist Silvana Weiss is investigating how this factor influences opportunities and fairness in the workplace.
“It starts right from the application process,” the researcher points out. When is the vacancy advertised? How long is the application period? When are candidates invited for an interview? “If a person has care responsibilities or falls ill, this can exclude them, even though formally the same conditions apply to all applicants,” explains the scientist at the Department of Human Resource Management at the University of Graz. Time-related mechanisms shape the entire day-to-day working routine. The greater emphasis on work-life balance, as well as the increasing use of AI, are further changing perspectives on the issue.
Weiss highlights the importance of the time factor by posing a number of questions: “How long are people working? At what pace? At what time are meetings scheduled? The crucial question is: who can meet these demands, and who is disadvantaged or, conversely, favoured as a result?”
The social scientist aims to find answers to these questions with the help of case studies across various professional fields, including the IT and software sectors, as well as the health and care sectors. In addition, she is tracking career progression through repeated interviews and analysing European labour market data.
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