Professor Hakim Adi

Professor Hakim Adi, BA Hons., PhD (London): Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora.

Office: New Hall N124

I was trained as a historian of Africa however my research interests have broadened to also include the history of the African diaspora. My earlier research and publications focused on the history of the African diaspora in Britain, a relatively new subject for academic study and in particular on the political history of West Africans in Britain. This work sought to demonstrate not only the important links that were established between those in the African continent and its diaspora but also that Africans and those of African descent have played a significant but often neglected role in the history of Britain.

Although focused on Britain my research on such organisations as the West African Students’ Union was necessarily also international in scope and led to further research and publications on the history of Africans in Britain, as well as to research on the history of Pan-Africanism and the influence of Communism on the struggles of those in Africa and the African diaspora. My most recent research and publications have focused on the history of African and Caribbean people in Britain, but my next research project will again focus on the history of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa.

As one of the few historians specialising in the history of Africa and the African diaspora, my work has led to many media appearances, work with museums and archives and the publication of three history books for children.​ It also led me to develop the History Matters initiative and journal and the Young Historians Project.