Robel Afeworki Abay

Dr. Robel Afeworki Abay is a Visiting Professor of Disability Studies at Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin. He is a sociologist and Black Queer Disability Justice activist with a PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin. His research critically examines intersectional colonialities of ableism, racism, and gender in labor market participation of Disabled BIPoC in Germany. He has previously held research and teaching positions at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich and Dualen Hochschule Baden-Württemberg.

His academic background includes studies in Sociology and Political Science at Addis Ababa University and Cardiff University, and Social Work in Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Kassel, Germany.

Robel's research interests span Sociology of Disability, Decolonial Theories, Intersectional Disability Justice, Technoableism, Disability Studies & Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), Migration & Mobility, Climate & Social Justice, and Queer Studies. He emphasizes participatory and community-based research methodologies that center marginalized voices.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on decolonial methodologies, epistemic violence, intersectionality, and the interplay of race, disability, and climate justice. He co-edited the influential volume Intersectional Colonialities: Embodied Colonial Violence and Practices of Resistance (Routledge, 2024).

• Co-editor, Intersectional Colonialities (Routledge, 2024)
• Author of The Coloniality of Humanity (2025)
• Contributor to open-access works on decolonial social work

Robel is the Founder and Executive Director of the Network Intersectional Disability Justice (IDJ), an activist and research collective. He has not received any explicitly mentioned scientific awards. He actively engages in knowledge mobilization and has published over 170 works, with a growing international profile in disability and decolonial scholarship.

He is involved in research teams and collaborations across Germany and internationally, particularly with scholars in Australia and South Africa. His work bridges academic research and social justice activism, aiming to transform both knowledge production and social structures.