David Starkey has resigned his Cambridge University fellowship after he claimed "slavery was not genocide" because of the survival of "so many damn blacks".
The comments from the British historian, made during an interview with pro-Brexit commentator Darren Grimes, were widely condemned by politicians, publishers and universities.
The 75-year-old is an alumni of Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge and was made an Honorary Fellow in 2006.
The college said Mr Starkey's comments were "indefensible" and a statement on its website on Friday said the master of the college had accepted Mr Starkey's resignation.
"Fitzwilliam prides itself in leading the way in Cambridge in opening access to higher education for underrepresented groups," the statement says.
"Our student and academic bodies are diverse and welcoming to all. We do not tolerate racism.
"Although Dr Starkey holds no teaching role at Fitzwilliam, Honorary Fellows have the same responsibility as all members of our college to uphold our values."
Fellow historian and Cambridge professor Nicholas Guyatt had urged the university to “cut all ties” with Dr Starkey.
“Can’t speak for my employer but as someone who teaches history at Cambridge I'm ashamed of our connections with David Starkey and urge both the University and Fitzwilliam College to cut all ties with him,” he tweeted.
During the interview, Mr Starkey said: “Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?
“An awful lot of them survived and again there’s no point in arguing against globalisation or Western civilisation. They are all products of it, we are all products of it.
“The honest teaching of the British Empire is to say, quite simply, it is the first key stage of our globalisation. It is probably the most important moment in human history and it is still with us."
The interview sparked a backlash, including from former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said Mr Starkey’s “racist” comments were a “reminder of the appalling views that still exist”.
Meanwhile, Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, vice-chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, apologised to staff and students at the university in Kent who have been offended and upset by the "appalling" comments.
He said: “Widely reported comments by historian David Starkey during a recent online interview are, in our view, completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our university and community.
“We have therefore terminated, with immediate effect, Dr Starkey’s visiting professorship.
“I would like to say sorry to colleagues and students who will have been offended and upset by such comments of this appalling nature, and in particular in these challenging and difficult times for us all.”
Publisher HarperCollins also condemned Mr Starkey's "abhorrent" comments and said it will not be publishing any further books with him.
A statement said: "The views expressed by David Starkey in his recent interview are abhorrent and we unreservedly condemn them.
"Our last book with the author was in 2010, and we will not be publishing further books with him. We are reviewing his existing backlist in light of his comments and views."