Susan Dabney Pennybacker

Susan Dabney Pennybacker is the Chalmers W. Poston Distinguished Professor of European History at the University of North Carolina. She holds a visiting professorship at King’s College London (2025–27) and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Her research focuses on modern British political culture, postwar refugee movements, and the legacy of the British Empire. She completed her BA at Columbia University (1976), MA at the University of Pennsylvania (1977), and PhD at the University of Cambridge (1984).

Her current book project, *Fire By Night, Cloud By Day*, examines transnational movements between South Africa, Trinidad, India, and London (1945–1994), combining archival and ethnographic methods. She also engages with documentary photography and film in her work. Recent roles include membership at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2023).

Key research areas include Cold War exile networks, anti-apartheid activism, and the intersection of race and politics in 20th-century Britain. Her publications span topics like 1930s British race relations, London’s labor history, and imperial legacies in education. Awards include the Distinguished Professorship and Royal Historical Society Fellowship.

• Advising: Co-advised student Katie Laird Morgan Wilson.
• Teaching: Courses include British History (19th/20th centuries), Global History, and Imperial History.

Her research methodologies integrate archival work, ethnography, and visual media, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to historical inquiry.