Malcolm, Rochelle

Rochelle Malcolm [she/her] centers her work on the history of African and Caribbean communities in Europe with a primary focus on Britain. Her interests include the history of art, activism and the built environment. Her current research focuses on access to housing,  self build and cooperative housing initiatives and ideas of  space and place for Black communities in late twentieth century Britain.   

Rochelle serves as the Co-Chair of New Directions in African Diaspora Studies, a Columbia University Seminars workshop series. The series brings together a community of scholars who study, share and exchange knowledge on the research and pedagogy of African Diaspora Studies, and how both have transformed in recent years. In its first iteration (2021 - 2023), the seminar will focus on topics pertaining to the African diaspora in Europe. 

Rochelle is passionate about widening access to education and promoting educational opportunities to underserved and underrepresented communities. She is interested in inclusive forms of knowledge production and the use of oral history, media and art as tools for both formal and informal learning.

Rochelle is a participant in the Teaching and Development Programme at the Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning and a member of the New York- Cambridge Training Collaboration (NYCTC), for which she has developed a research guide for those interested in learning more about the History of African and Caribbean communities in Britain.  

Rochelle serves as the Co-President of the Graduate History Association in 2021-22. 

Prospective students, in particular first generation students and/or international students, interested in discussing the history PhD program at Columbia are invited to reach out via email.  

Education

PgDip - SOAS, University of London 2019

B.A. (Hons)  - University of Nottingham 2012

Experience

Prior to joining Columbia, Rochelle worked in educational outreach and community access to education. She has conducted research on the Right to Education in the West Bank, Palestine and represented the British Council on the topic of Higher Education in Beijing, China. She previously served as a governor for an alternative provision school and a trustee for a local community trust, based in south London. 

Rochelle has also completed curatorial projects at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, and the 16th Istanbul Biennial. 

Rochelle holds a B.A. (Hons) degree in International Media and Communications from the University of Nottingham (2008 - 2012) and a Postgraduate Diploma in History of Art from SOAS, University of London (2018 - 2019).