Robert's historical interests have always been in how groups and individuals create their identities. A large part of this was his research into authoritarian city building during the Twentieth Century. Before moving to Barcelona he worked with charities and historians his hometown, investigating and developing the centuries-long histories of migrant and native communities there. Barcelona's historiographical layers have provided the perfect culmination of all his personal and academic interests since he made it his home, and he continues to explore its past and present, real and imagined narratives.