Shahmima Akhtar

Dr.

  • Assistant Professor of Black and Asian British Histories, History

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

I welcome graduate students working on race, migration and empire in nineteenth and twentieth century Britain. Further, I am happy to supervise on projects related to visual and cultural histories whether looking at world's fairs, exhibitions or display in any form.

20182024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests

I am a historian of race, migration and empire. My first book Exhibiting Irishness: Empire, Race and Identity, 1850s to 1960s (forthcoming) traces multiple constructions of Irish identity in national and international displays as Ireland moved from a colonial to an independent, globally-connected state. As a cultural history of Irish identity, the book considers exhibitions as a formative platform for imagining a host of Irish pasts, presents and futures. My second project continues my interest in visual histories and is provisionally titled Brumistan: Race and Resistance in Birmingham’s British Bangladeshi Communities in the 1970s and 80s, seeks to interrogate the activism, community networks and anti-racist action of this collective in the late-twentieth century. I have formerly worked at the Royal Historical Society to improve BME representation in UK History, whether working with schools and the curriculum, cultural institutions, community groups or other learned societies. I have also worked closely with museums and heritage sites as a researcher and consultant on shaping histories of the British Empire for today’s populace. Overall, I am committed to researching histories of race, migration and empire and thinking through their presentation in historic or contemporary visual platforms.

Biography

I completed my higher education training at the University of Birmingham, undertaking my BA, Masters and PhD (funded by the Arts and Humanities Council, Midlands3Cities Award). I was a Lecturer in Minorities in Multi-Ethnic Britain at Royal Holloway, University of London from 2020 to 2023. I have formerly worked with the Royal Historical Society on race equality policy in history higher education. Further, I have worked with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery alongside the curatorial and collections team. I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and ECR Fellow of Royal Historical Society.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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