“If the past has been an obstacle and a burden,
knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest emancipation”
Lord Acton (1834-1902)
The Department of History and Civilization (HEC) offers a distinctive programme of transnational and comparative European history.
Transcending nation-state paradigms, our programme studies the construction of Europe's boundaries and the diversity and complexity of experiences within them. Our central concerns are the interlinking of European societies since the Renaissance and the complex cultural legacies that have shaped contemporary Europe. The HEC community is also committed to exploring the place of Europe in the world through the study of empires, global processes and institutions.
The rich variety of research approaches and themes, as well as the broad background of its professors, enable the Department to recruit high-quality Ph.D. candidates and to host outstanding research fellows, thereby forming a vibrant and international academic community.
New Appointments in the Department
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Laura Downs , Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, will take up the Chair in Gender History of Europe in the World in September 2012
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Lucy Riall , Birkbeck University of London, will take up the Chair in Comparative History of Europe (19th to 20th centuries) in September 2012