As the European University Institute marks its 50th anniversary, a new video series #uniquelyEUI explores what makes its academic community distinctive. The first episode, dedicated to the EUI Department of History, brings together Giancarlo Casale, Head of the Department, and doctoral researchers Josephine Koopman and Jan Daniel Schubert in a conversation reflecting on the Department’s research traditions and their relevance today.
Filmed at the EUI Library, the discussion highlights a defining feature of historical research at the EUI: its transnational perspective. Rather than approaching the past through national frameworks alone, the Department of History has long encouraged comparative and global history approaches that connect Europe to the wider world.
The episode traces these traditions through the legacies of influential scholars such as Carlo Cipolla and Luisa Passerini, showing how they continue to shape current research. Drawing on the legacy of these two scholars, whose work foregrounded global and oral history approaches, the conversation demonstrates how historical inquiry at the EUI speaks directly to present-day debates on globalisation, migration, and European identity.
This video marks the first episode in an anniversary series celebrating 50 years of research excellence at the EUI. Each episode highlights what makes the EUI academic units unique and how their legacies are carried forward today. Follow the series under #UniquelyEUI.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
Join us in celebrating the EUI’s journey and shaping the next chapter together. Find more information about the EUI 50th anniversary here.