Robbie Aitken

Robbie Aitken is a Professor of Imperial History at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), affiliated with the College of Social Sciences and Arts and the Department of Humanities. He joined SHU in 2010 after working at the University of Liverpool. His research focuses on Black Europe, the Black Diaspora in Germany, European colonialism, and race constructions in pre-1945 Europe. He is particularly renowned for his work on the Black experience in Nazi Germany and post-war compensation claims.

Teaching responsibilities include modules such as Empires and Encounters, Race: Difference and Power, and Citizenship, Violence and Race. He contributes to the BA History program and collaborates with institutions like the Sheffield Creative Industries Institute.

Research interests span the African Diaspora in Europe, German colonialism, and the intersection of race and identity. Current projects include a focus on Black victims' compensation claims post-Holocaust and the Black Germany 1884–1945 traveling exhibition, displayed across the UK, Germany, and Cameroon.

Professional activities include editing for H-Black Europe and contributing to Black Central Europe. Collaborations include the Black Germany Exhibition with Destination Arts and featured projects like Making Visible the Invisible.

Supervision includes PhDs on topics such as the Aid Spain movement in interwar Britain and Everyday Life in Diaries from the Ghettos of Warsaw and Łódź.