of our students say we explain history well
Source: National Student Survey, 2023
7 million manuscript items
The Hartley Library Special Collections hold a treasure trove of archival documents for researchers. Source: Special Collections.
of our research judged excellent
Earning 3 stars (internationally excellent) or 4 stars (world-leading)
Source: Research Excellence Framework 2021
Overview
About the Department of History
We’re committed to historical research and teaching that involves the discovery of new knowledge, the cultivation of new questions and ideas, and the expansion of understanding about how human societies have developed over time and across space.
Our research interests range from the ancient world to contemporary global history, from East to West. We explore topics as diverse as the buildings of the Roman empire, the clothing of the Tudor and Stuart courts and concepts of peace and peacefulness in twentieth-century China.
Our academic staff conduct research in archives around the world as well as in our own Hartley Collections. They regularly win awards for the excellence of their research, including:
- Jon Conlin, winner of the BAC Wadsworth Prize for Business History 2020 for Mr Five Percent: the many lives of Calouste Gulbenkian (Profile Books, 2019)
- George Gilbert, winner of Best Historical Materials 2021 from the American Library Association for editing Reading Russian Sources (Routledge, 2020)
- Maria Hayward, winner of 'History Book of the Year' in Scotland's National Book Awards 2021 for Stuart Style: monarchy, dress and the Scottish male elite, (Yale University Press, 2020)
We place the spirit of intellectual discovery at the heart of the education we offer, and we communicate the new knowledge that our research produces to audiences beyond the academic community.
For example, we have a long-standing commitment to Holocaust education. Our staff have informed UK government policy in Holocaust commemoration and shaped major museum projects around the world. We have also involved local publics in conversations about race, migration, and multiculturalism. An exhibition at the John Hansard Gallery explored how BBC programming in the 1960s shaped British Asian identities and sense of belonging.
We believe that rigorous and creative research empowers all of us to ask critically what a better future might look like.
Our vision
Studying history requires investigation. To be a historian is to embrace the challenge of understanding a different world. This involves meeting it on its own terms, studying it closely, tracing continuities, explaining change, and finding vantage points to make sense of the whole.
Our mission is to explore the past. As world-class researchers, we are actively engaged in the generation of new knowledge about human societies across global space, from the era of Greek antiquity to the recent ‘war on terror’.
As educators, we provide students with orientation, the skills needed to navigate these worlds and regular guidance along the way. We equip students to pioneer their own trails, with confidence. We find out a good deal about ourselves and today’s society through exploration of the past.
Our culture
We have a friendly, open and supportive teaching culture. Our learning community extends beyond the classroom, including through:
- individual consultations with teaching staff on the development of essays
- systems of pastoral support for students facing difficulties
- staff-student social events
Our research culture is equally supportive. We value the informal exchange of ideas so we can learn from each other. Our research centres also provide a lively forum for academic discussion and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Their seminar programmes provide our own researchers with opportunities to share their work, and they bring distinguished visiting speakers to our campus. Making our research seminars hybrid events allows us to establish connections between international audiences and local ones.
Our centres include the:
- Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations
- Centre for Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies (CIPCS)
- Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRC)
- Southampton Centre for Nineteenth-Century Research (SCNCR)
Public engagement and impact
The department has a long-standing commitment to working with public bodies and other external partners to make a difference in the world beyond the university.
For example, the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations draws on our academics’ expertise in Jewish history when designing their workshops for colleges, adult learners, interfaith and community groups, and educators.
We also engage a broad demographic of learners locally and regionally. For example, we offer life-long learning programmes of evening study and develop teaching materials for schools.
We engage with regional, national and international museums and galleries through our heritage work, which helps inform the presentation of the past to wide audiences, and our consultancy work with policymakers on teaching about the Holocaust and other difficult pasts springs from our ethical commitment to shaping a better future.
Inclusivity
We work hard to make sure all our activities are sensitive to the diverse needs and interests of our students and public audiences.
Over the past decade, we have established the annual Stonewall lecture series. This brings cutting-edge researchers to Southampton as a marker of our commitment to deeper understanding of LGBTQ+ histories.
Through understanding past persecution or tolerance we are better able to contextualise our current understanding of LGBTQ+ identities in a heteronormative world.
We are also taking efforts to decolonise our curriculum. This means addressing the multi-directional connections and influences between the Europeanised world and the rest of humanity, as well as using inclusive teaching practices. We also make sure our approach and materials are accessible to all of our students.
Our courses
Make an original contribution to the field of history by completing one of our PhDs or research degrees.
Research and outreach
Find out about the department’s research activities and outreach efforts such as working with schools and teachers to develop teaching materials.
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Our research
Learn more about our research, including research highlights and bios of our academic staff and research facilities such as our history archives.
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Our outreach
Our outreach programmes inspire the next generation of historians, provide support for teachers, and engage with the wider community.
Our research community
Our research centres bring together specialists to share knowledge and solve problems.
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Centre for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (CEEES)
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Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture (CMRC)
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Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies
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The Parkes Institute
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Southampton Centre for Medical and Health Humanities
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Southampton Centre for Nineteenth-Century Research
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Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities
People
Work with us
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Work with us
Find out about current opportunities at the University of Southampton, including any current vacancies in our department.