Robel Afeworki Abay

Robel Afeworki Abay is a former research associate at the Institute of Sociology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), and a doctoral candidate at Humboldt University of Berlin. His research focuses on intersectional colonialities, disability studies, and the socio-political exclusion faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) with disability experiences. Central to his work is a postcolonial-informed intersectional analysis addressing labor market inequities and systemic discrimination.

Education:
M.A. in Social Work with an interdisciplinary focus on theory and practice. His doctoral project examines participatory research methodologies to understand employment barriers for BIPoC with disabilities, employing decolonial and intersectional frameworks.

Research Interests:
His work bridges disability studies, postcolonial theory, and critical race theory. Key themes include coloniality of disability, racialized capitalism, epistemic disobedience, and participatory research ethics. He critiques systemic exclusion in labor markets, migration policies, and climate crisis responses through anti-colonial and anti-racist lenses.

Academic Contributions:
Abay has published widely on decolonizing social work, intersectional analysis of vulnerability, and epistemic violence in knowledge production. His recent articles emphasize methodologies that center marginalized voices and challenge Eurocentric paradigms.

Engagement:
He contributed to the Graduate School 'Inclusion – Education – School' (2015–2022) and organized panels on topics like climate crisis coloniality and transnational solidarity. His teaching focuses on decolonial pedagogy and anti-racist practices in social work education.

Labs/Teams:
Affiliated with the Graduate School 'Inclusion – Education – School' and collaborates with the 'Intersectional Disability Justice' initiative. Active in cross-disciplinary networks addressing disability, migration, and climate justice.