Welcome!
I’m a comparative social and cultural historian of modern eastern and southern Africa interested in memory, decolonization, and print culture. My current research studies the ways in which African societies have defined their relationship to the past and the future, and how these changing visions affected notions of sovereignty and justice on the continent. I also have long-running interests in global history and the nature of colonial states in Africa.
I teach and work as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in African History at University College London. You can find out more about me at my UCL profile.
Beyond UCL, I’m the core-convener and founder of the African History Seminar at London’s Institute of Historical Research. I also serve as Book Review Editor for the journal Memory Studies.
News:
Together with Salvatory Nyanto (University of Dar es Salaam) and Benjamin Kirby (University Of Bayreuth), I’m organizing a British Academy-funded workshop at the University of Dar es Salaam on July 9-10, 2026:
Based on a generous loan from Johannesburg- and London-based gallery Guns & Rain, I organized the launch of a exhibit of contemporary Namibian art at University College London on May 14, 2026. The recording of the event is available here.
Upcoming Presentations:
“Publishing Empire: African Vernacular Newspapers in German Colonial Africa and the Question of Violence.” Free University Berlin, March 26, 2026.
Fabian Krautwald 