UK's first black female history professor to research Bristol's slavery links

(thumbnail image: University of Bristol)

The University of Bristol has appointed a black history professor to explore the city’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

Olivette Otele will take up her role as professor of the history of slavery in January 2020. She will be based at the university’s history department and the Centre for Black Humanities, where she will work with staff, students and communities.

Otele became the UK’s first female black history professor after being awarded a professorship and a chair in history by Bath Spa University in 2018. Her research, conducted over almost two decades, examines the legacies of colonial pasts as well as a reluctance to address such issues.

As part of her new role, Otele will undertake a two-year research project on the involvement of the University of Bristol and the wider city in the transatlantic slave trade.