Sami Pinarbasi

Hello there! I’m Sami Pinarbasi, an Anglo-Turkish historian and digital humanist based in Manchester who specialises in the history of British slavery and abolition. With a heritage that includes English, Kurdish, and Turkish roots, I bring a unique transnational perspective to transatlantic studies. I completed my PhD in History at the University of Manchester in 2018, where my research examined the intersections of slavery, abolition, and colonialism.

My work focuses particularly on Manchester’s connections to the British West Indies and intercolonial exchanges. My project at the John Rylands Library “Intercolonial Exchanges: Slavery and the Environment in British Florida and Jamaica, 1763-1783” explores how enslaved Black people shaped colonial societies and landscapes. I have published key articles, including “Manchester Antislavery, 1792–1807” in the journal Slavery & Abolition, analysing local abolitionist movements in Britain’s industrial heartland.

I have held positions at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University and London South Bank University. An Early Career Research Fellow at the John Rylands Library in 2022-23, I am also a committed public historian. I have contributed to The Guardian, delivered talks on the legacies of slavery in modern capitalism, and supported campaigns to address the controversial Robert Peel statue in Manchester.

As a digital humanist, I employ historical GIS and data visualisation to illuminate the spatial and economic dimensions of slavery. Outside academia, I enjoy playing guitar (I own a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar and a Brent Mason B-Bender Telecaster,) listening to 1960s folk rock, PC gaming, and science fiction.

Thanks for visiting my site!