Zoe Groves

Zoë Groves is a Lecturer in Modern Global, Colonial and Postcolonial History at the University of Leicester. Her work focuses on the social and cultural history of twentieth century southern Africa, especially the themes of migration, urbanisation and popular culture in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Her first book 'Malawian Migration to Zimbabwe, c.1900-1965: Tracing Machona' was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2020. Her research has also been published in various African Studies and History journals. Zoë’s current project explores new histories of dance and performance in southern Africa building on a recent Leverhulme International Fellowship (2026).

Zoë previously held affiliations with the History Department at the Chancellor College, University of Malawi, and the History Department at the University of Zimbabwe and was a Research Associate at Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER). She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Southern African Studies and the new journal Black History: Dialogues.