Rachel Gillett

Rachel Gillett is an Assistant Professor in Cultural History at Utrecht University's Department of History and Art History. Her work bridges European colonial history, Black Atlantic studies, and contemporary identity politics through lenses like Hip Hop and media representation. She co-founded the Decolonization Group @Utrecht University and leads the NWO-funded Re/Presenting Europe consortium.

• Education: PhD in World History (Northeastern University, 2010), BA in English and History (University of Otago, 1998)

Her research explores racialization in Europe, anti-colonial solidarity, and popular culture as political tools. Recent projects analyze Hip Hop's role in European belonging and global perceptions of France as a land of liberty.

The 15 most recent publications span from 2012 to 2024, focusing on topics like colonial soundscapes, transnational Black intellectual history, and postcolonial film analysis. Keywords include World War I, Black Panther, Settler Colonialism, and Neoliberalism.

Scientific Awards include Aspasia Grants (2017, 2020) for career development and a Chateaubriand Fellowship (2006). She received a Certificate of Excellence in Teaching (2016) and secured a Decolonization Research Group Continuance Grant (2019).

Gillett engages in public outreach through workshops like Teaching Beyond the Canon and events such as Rise Up, Take a Knee (2019), connecting historical scholarship to contemporary social justice movements.