Christopher Roy Zembe

Dr Christopher Roy Zembe is a Senior Lecturer in History at De Montfort University, within the School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities. His academic work focuses on the African Diaspora and the colonial and post-colonial histories of Sub-Saharan Africa. He contributes significantly to inclusive historical scholarship through co-editing the journal Black Histories: Dialogues (Taylor & Francis).

• PhD in History
• MRes in History
• BA (Hons) in History

His research centers on migration, memory, race, and identity among Black British communities, especially Zimbabweans in the UK. He explores how colonial legacies shape contemporary racial dynamics and national identities. His work bridges academic and public history, contributing to debates on multiculturalism, social justice, and representation in higher education.

His recent publications span monographs, peer-reviewed articles, and book chapters analyzing post-war Black British immigration, transnational Black identities, and leadership legacies in Africa. These works reflect interdisciplinary engagement with history, sociology, and post-colonial theory, highlighting themes of memory, resistance, and belonging.

• Faculty’s Best Research Book Award (2019)
• Nominated for Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2014)
• Nominated for Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2016)

Dr Zembe supervises PhD candidates, including Karl Arthur, whose research examines radicalism and racial politics in Britain’s Black communities. He has contributed to externally reviewed book proposals for Pluto Press and Routledge, and led initiatives like ‘History Matters’ to increase diversity among historians. He is also involved with the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre and Serendipity Leicester, working on oral archives and advancing conversations on race and social justice.

His current research is supported by internal funding from the Research Institute on African Migration in Britain. He has presented at major international conferences, including the European Social Science History Conference, and participated in public panel discussions streamed globally on topics of colonial legacies and transnational Blackness.