BA History

This module explores the history of humankind from the Paleolithic period to the globalized twenty-first century. It proceeds chronologically to understand how the world as a whole got to be the way it is while also exploring the process from different angles, allowing us to make comparisons between and connections among different parts of the world.

This module explores the variety of approaches to history through the ages, from positivist histories of the nation state and the study of changing economies and societies, to postcolonial and subaltern histories, it introduces the wide range of sources through which we study the past, including both secondary accounts produced by historians and the primary sources on which they rely.

This module takes the interpretive skills and overview of the field of History gained in H101 Approaching History to examine History in the broader context of the modern university. We look at the history of the 'Humanities' and address the way in which humanities and social science disciplines emerged in the context of the Enlightenment and colonial expansion.

This introductory module surveys the entire sweep of Africa's history, north and south of the Sahara, from the emergence of civilizations to the present day. Themes covered include Ancient Egypt and Nubia, Christianity and Islam in Africa, state and society in Sudanic and in Bantu-speaking Africa, slavery and the slave trades, colonisation and the postcolonial period.

This module introduces students to the history of the part of the world that was profoundly influenced by the Chinese cultural sphere through a gendered lens. Chronologically, it covers the periods of early state formation and the rise of the first unified empires, the centuries of political and religious plurality of the first centuries of the common era, and the heyday of Chinese civilization following the 'reunification' in the Sui/Tang and the social and economic transformations of the Song dynasty. We will look at this history through the experience of women from different walks of life and study how women were represented in different kinds of texts, from the Classics to biographies of exemplary women and tales of the strange. This perspective will provide a focused and engaging way to learn about the ideological foundations and hierarchical and patriarchal social structures that supported the expanding Chinese states.

This module is an introduction to the history of the late medieval, early modern and modern era Middle East. It begins roughly around the time when Islamic empires became the dominant powers in the region and explores thenceforth the political, social, and cultural developments up to the present. While the module is structured around events that are primarily of military and political nature, it gives ample importance to the broad social and cultural currents, as well as the circumstances of everyday life as shaped by the former. Throughout the semester, we will also (re)visit, question, and complicate some of the main concepts and debates, such as modernity and the decline thesis, that have informed the field in the past decades.

South Asia (comprising of present-day India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives) has a history stretching back millennia. This module introduces the historical processes that shaped the society, culture, economy and political landscapes of the subcontinent over this long period. We begin with the Harappan or Indus Valley civilization and conclude with the English East India Company’s conquest of Bengal, a moment that marks the beginning of the colonial period. Students will study the principal historical themes, debates and controversies that have concerned scholars over the decades and thus build a foundation for further study of the history of South Asia at more advanced levels.

As it was a century ago, Southeast Asia as a region continues to be one of the hotspots of great power rivalries. Much of the world’s trade runs through the region, it is on the fringe of the Chinese economic power-house, and is a major focus of the US pivot back to Asia. As a result, longer term historical developments and shorter term regional developments have important implications for the balance of world power. Even so, these developments remain poorly understood by world policymakers. This module examines the region’s historical emergence from 1830 to the present, roughly two centuries, with a focus on explaining how its intersection with the prevailing global forces has shaped the region as it exists today.

This module is an introduction to the history of the early modern and modern era Middle East. It begins roughly around the time when Islamic empires became the dominant powers of the region and explores thenceforth the political, social and cultural developments up to the present.

This module introduces students to the methods and approaches to historical research. We survey the ways in which historians have approached the past -- from event-driven narratives, through the structural analysis of economy, society, and culture, to contemporary debates about postmodernism, postcolonialism, and presentism.

In this module students will bring together the knowledge and skills acquired in the core module H201 Historical Research and the thematic modules that together form the heart of the second-year History programme. With the in-depth study of specific themes students will receive the guidance they need to identify and design a research project.

This course is an introduction to urban history, exploring how cities have been shaped and in what ways urban dynamics have transformed human society. The idea is to examine urban history as a process in which economic, social, political, cultural, and morphological changes are interrelated, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of urban history.

This module embrace those frameworks but also challenge their limitations for understanding the history of the non-western world and the interconnectedness of global history. This module challenges students to explore new research methods, as they need to think creatively about source materials that can shed light upon the histories of regions about which there are often few historical records.

This module explores gender in historical perspective, combining a general introduction to gender history with a case-study based on the specialisation and research expertise of the tutor. The module provides a detailed introduction to the positioning of history as a discipline vis-à-vis gender studies.

This module therefore seeks to understand war and violence from a non - Western perspective - to understand how they emerge from particular historical circumstances and how they produce different consequences in different periods and geographical, cultural, ethnic, and even religious contexts.

This module is about cultural and social change in Africa in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It covers the entire continent, north and south of the Sahara, as well as considering the cultures of the African diaspora. The aim to is explore African cultures and societies across the established divide in the continent's modern history between the era of colonial rule in the first half of the twentieth century and that of renewed African sovereignty from around the 1960s. A range of social changes are examined, but the focus will be on the history of popular and visual cultures, including artistic production in the fields of music, dance, theatre, film and plastic art. A central concern is to think about the historical processes that have shaped contemporary society and culture today.

This module introduces students to the history and legacy of the Atlantic slave trade in West Africa from Senegambia down to Angola from ca. 1500 to the present. It gives a political and economic understanding of key developments and of social and cultural change and continuity. Students will explore the causes of the transatlantic slave trade, and the consequences of involvement in the trade for West African societies. The consequences of the abolition of slavery and local and global legacies of the slave trade will also be considered.

The course focuses on Mughal rule in north India within the context of the Muslim World. Using the political developments in India from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries as guiding lines for the discussion, the course will examine some of the main political, social, and religious institutions and processes in the Mughal Empire and their role in shaping state and society in South Asia.

The course examines the historical context of Islam in Britain, beginning with early Muslim migrations and settlement in the 19th century, through to the institutionalisation of Islam in Britain in the early twentieth century and the emergence of community leaders. Within this framework it will cover the different ethnic, sectarian and doctrinal approaches to Islam belonging to and/or adopted by migrants and second generation Muslims. The course proceeds to look at the various issues that have arisen, uniquely, out of this context and in response to world events.

This module explores the history of the suffragette movement in China and the wider context of women's emancipation and emerging feminist thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The syllabus is organised around a series of key events and protagonists, from the introduction of the first schools for girls (by Western missionaries) and the reforms of the late 1890s, to the suffragette movement and the revolution of 1911 and its aftermath. You will get to know some extraordinary women and read their writings, reflect about their significance within the Chinese and global context, and gain new insights into the struggle against exclusive patriarchal structures and for female emancipation and political participation in the final decade of Qing rule and beyond.

This module will explore the political, intellectual and social aspects of anticolonial nationalisms as the people in the territories once ruled by the government of India and the princely states moved towards making new independent nations. We will study the public spheres created through print journalism and political organisations and the identities they engendered.

This module explores an ongoing cultural encounter, which has historically been only rarely marked by conflict.’ Key themes to be covered include the origins and early development of Islam in China, from Tang China’s ‘Silk & Sea Routes’ to the Mongol empire.

This module asks how we came to approach politics as the measuring of success according to a certain set of goals, such as development, peace, and security.

This course is designed to develop students’ understanding of key moments in modern Japanese history from the collapse of the Tokugawa hegemony (the 1850s) to the end of World War II (1945) in regional and global context. It examines social and political epochs such as the rise of the Meiji government, the social and political contexts of modernisation, the process of nation-building, the establishment of an overseas empire and the rise of militarism, and the Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars.

The module is intended to complement modules such as ‘History and Culture of Korea to the Late 19th Century’ and ‘Culture and Society in 20th Century Korea’ (which focuses on South Korea) to provide BA Korean students with a more comprehensive overview and understanding of the Korean peninsula and how it has developed, especially since the Pacific War.

This module provides a historical overview of the Israel-Palestine conflict, from late Ottoman Palestine, through the 1948 war and the establishment of Israel, to the Oslo accords. The module interrogates the historical dynamic in Palestine/Israel and its contestations through social and cultural history. It brings a variety of voices and perspectives, often contrasting and contradictory, on the conflict and its underlying causes.

This module integrates perspectives from our department’s three fields–history, religions, and philosophies–and beyond, to take an interdisciplinary critical approach to questions on ‘Political Islam.’ Grounded in historical chronology, and balancing geographical specificity with a transregional view, it begins by problematizing the categories of ‘religion’ and ‘politics’. At the same time it shows how these, and other, conceptual categories emerged across various sociopolitical settings from the early modern period to now.

This module will introduce students to the history of the Middle East between 1050 and 1250 CE. While there will be emphasis on the period of the Frankish invasions of the Levant (Crusades), it will also deal with wider issues within the period. Topics will include a comparison of ideas of holy war, crusades and jihad, the economic and political importance of Mediterranean trade during the period, the nature of Frankish settlement in the Levant, a comparison of Frankish and Muslim elites and the impact of the Mongol invasions from 1218 onwards. The course will finish with the discussion of two major questions: Should we see the Crusades as a colonialist enterprise paving the way for later European expansion in other parts of the world? And what was the long-term impact on relations between the peoples of the Middle East and western Europe? In this way the course will combine an in depth, scientific investigation of a crucial era in Middle Eastern history with wider concerns which are still important in contemporary political discourse.

The Independent Study Project is a unique opportunity for a student to work on his or her own initiative. Undertaken during the final year, it involves researching a topic that may be related to other courses which the student has already studied or is about to study.

Reform, Resistance and Revolution: the Ottoman Empire 1876-1909.

This course examines the histories of nationalist and imperial politics that are held to account for the partition of British India. It examines the ‘experience’ of partition beyond its politics along with with the historiography of colonialism, nationalism and gain an understanding of cultural, political issues involved in the politics of governing diverse groups.

The purpose of this course is to trace the development of opium – the drug’s trade and social appropriations – across the eastern end of the above geographical spectrum and with an emphasis between 1800 and 1930, i.e. eastern Asia’s “long opium century”. This course questions the received wisdom that opium was an evil imposed by imperialism as a consequence of cannon boat diplomacy, by analysing a holistic picture of the cultural and social history of opium.

This course is an introduction to urban history, exploring how cities have been shaped and in what ways urban dynamics have transformed human society. The idea is to examine urban history as a process in which economic, social, political, cultural, and morphological changes are interrelated, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of urban history.

This module embrace those frameworks but also challenge their limitations for understanding the history of the non-western world and the interconnectedness of global history. This module challenges students to explore new research methods, as they need to think creatively about source materials that can shed light upon the histories of regions about which there are often few historical records.

This module explores gender in historical perspective, combining a general introduction to gender history with a case-study based on the specialisation and research expertise of the tutor. The module provides a detailed introduction to the positioning of history as a discipline vis-à-vis gender studies.

This module therefore seeks to understand war and violence from a non - Western perspective - to understand how they emerge from particular historical circumstances and how they produce different consequences in different periods and geographical, cultural, ethnic, and even religious contexts.

This module is about cultural and social change in Africa in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It covers the entire continent, north and south of the Sahara, as well as considering the cultures of the African diaspora. The aim to is explore African cultures and societies across the established divide in the continent's modern history between the era of colonial rule in the first half of the twentieth century and that of renewed African sovereignty from around the 1960s. A range of social changes are examined, but the focus will be on the history of popular and visual cultures, including artistic production in the fields of music, dance, theatre, film and plastic art. A central concern is to think about the historical processes that have shaped contemporary society and culture today.

This module introduces students to the history and legacy of the Atlantic slave trade in West Africa from Senegambia down to Angola from ca. 1500 to the present. It gives a political and economic understanding of key developments and of social and cultural change and continuity. Students will explore the causes of the transatlantic slave trade, and the consequences of involvement in the trade for West African societies. The consequences of the abolition of slavery and local and global legacies of the slave trade will also be considered.

The course focuses on Mughal rule in north India within the context of the Muslim World. Using the political developments in India from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries as guiding lines for the discussion, the course will examine some of the main political, social, and religious institutions and processes in the Mughal Empire and their role in shaping state and society in South Asia.

The course examines the historical context of Islam in Britain, beginning with early Muslim migrations and settlement in the 19th century, through to the institutionalisation of Islam in Britain in the early twentieth century and the emergence of community leaders. Within this framework it will cover the different ethnic, sectarian and doctrinal approaches to Islam belonging to and/or adopted by migrants and second generation Muslims. The course proceeds to look at the various issues that have arisen, uniquely, out of this context and in response to world events.

This module explores the history of the suffragette movement in China and the wider context of women's emancipation and emerging feminist thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The syllabus is organised around a series of key events and protagonists, from the introduction of the first schools for girls (by Western missionaries) and the reforms of the late 1890s, to the suffragette movement and the revolution of 1911 and its aftermath. You will get to know some extraordinary women and read their writings, reflect about their significance within the Chinese and global context, and gain new insights into the struggle against exclusive patriarchal structures and for female emancipation and political participation in the final decade of Qing rule and beyond.

This module will explore the political, intellectual and social aspects of anticolonial nationalisms as the people in the territories once ruled by the government of India and the princely states moved towards making new independent nations. We will study the public spheres created through print journalism and political organisations and the identities they engendered.

This module explores an ongoing cultural encounter, which has historically been only rarely marked by conflict.’ Key themes to be covered include the origins and early development of Islam in China, from Tang China’s ‘Silk & Sea Routes’ to the Mongol empire.

This module asks how we came to approach politics as the measuring of success according to a certain set of goals, such as development, peace, and security.

This course is designed to develop students’ understanding of key moments in modern Japanese history from the collapse of the Tokugawa hegemony (the 1850s) to the end of World War II (1945) in regional and global context. It examines social and political epochs such as the rise of the Meiji government, the social and political contexts of modernisation, the process of nation-building, the establishment of an overseas empire and the rise of militarism, and the Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars.

The module is intended to complement modules such as ‘History and Culture of Korea to the Late 19th Century’ and ‘Culture and Society in 20th Century Korea’ (which focuses on South Korea) to provide BA Korean students with a more comprehensive overview and understanding of the Korean peninsula and how it has developed, especially since the Pacific War.

This module provides a historical overview of the Israel-Palestine conflict, from late Ottoman Palestine, through the 1948 war and the establishment of Israel, to the Oslo accords. The module interrogates the historical dynamic in Palestine/Israel and its contestations through social and cultural history. It brings a variety of voices and perspectives, often contrasting and contradictory, on the conflict and its underlying causes.

This module integrates perspectives from our department’s three fields–history, religions, and philosophies–and beyond, to take an interdisciplinary critical approach to questions on ‘Political Islam.’ Grounded in historical chronology, and balancing geographical specificity with a transregional view, it begins by problematizing the categories of ‘religion’ and ‘politics’. At the same time it shows how these, and other, conceptual categories emerged across various sociopolitical settings from the early modern period to now.

This module will introduce students to the history of the Middle East between 1050 and 1250 CE. While there will be emphasis on the period of the Frankish invasions of the Levant (Crusades), it will also deal with wider issues within the period. Topics will include a comparison of ideas of holy war, crusades and jihad, the economic and political importance of Mediterranean trade during the period, the nature of Frankish settlement in the Levant, a comparison of Frankish and Muslim elites and the impact of the Mongol invasions from 1218 onwards. The course will finish with the discussion of two major questions: Should we see the Crusades as a colonialist enterprise paving the way for later European expansion in other parts of the world? And what was the long-term impact on relations between the peoples of the Middle East and western Europe? In this way the course will combine an in depth, scientific investigation of a crucial era in Middle Eastern history with wider concerns which are still important in contemporary political discourse.