Robert Burroughs

Robert Burroughs is a Professor in the Department of English at Leeds Beckett University, specializing in 19th-century cultural history, empire, slavery, and Black British history. He has published extensively on travel and tourism in marine environments and served as an expert witness on Belgium's colonial past in 2022.

• PhD in Cultural Dimensions of the Royal Navy’s Suppression of the Atlantic Slave Trade (AHRC-funded)
• Author of Travel Writing and Atrocities (2011, 2015), African Testimony in the Movement for Congo Reform (2018), and Black Students in Imperial Britain (2022)

His research explores African agency in colonial narratives, focusing on how Black individuals shaped British cultural and literary landscapes. Recent work examines S.J. Celestine Edwards as a Victorian-era Black publisher and orator.

Rob's articles in journals like Victorian Literature and Culture and Postcolonial Studies analyze imperial legacies and humanitarian discourse. His 2018 article critiques 'poverty tourism' in British charities.

• Leverhulme Trust Fellowships (2007-09, 2019-20)
• Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (2014-17)
• Research Society for Victorian Periodicals Fellowship (2024)

He teaches courses on Black British culture, Atlantic slavery, and short stories, while serving as a historic consultant for exhibitions in Colwyn Bay, Wales.