
Themes
Our research themes span a vast range, from the history of empires to gender and sexuality.
‘The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.’ L.P. Hartley
Studying history involves adventure. The historian must move from their own space and time into another, where people behave in unfamiliar ways and according to conventions that can be difficult to discern. To be a historian is to embrace the challenge of understanding a different world, meeting it on its own terms, studying it closely, tracing continuities and explaining change, finding points of vantage to make sense of the whole.
At Southampton, we are committed to the mission of exploring the past. As world-class researchers, we are all 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 your teachers, we will provide you with orientation, the skills needed to navigate these worlds and regular guidance along the way, to the point that – by the end of your time with us – you will be able, with confidence, to pioneer your own trails. Through adventures we find out a good deal about ourselves. Through encounters with the past, our own present society comes more crisply into focus. We are excited to contribute to your development as independent learners, citizens, and historians.
Our research themes span a vast range, from the history of empires to gender and sexuality.
View a list of our staff members and their academic profiles
Find out which members of staff specialise in a specific historical period.
Subjects include Rome and its empire, the Greek world, the origins of Christianity
Dr Annelies Cazemier, Professor Sarah Pearce, Dr Louise Revell, Dr Helen Spurling, Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith
Subjects include The Crusades, the Angevin empire, The Hundred Years War
Dr Rémy Ambühl, Professor Peter Clarke, Professor Anne Curry, Dr Nicholas Karn, Dr Andy King, Dr Nicholas Kingwell, Dr Craig Lambert, Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith, Professor Chris Woolgar
Subjects include Henry VII and The Tudors, the English civil wars, the East India company
Dr Julie Gammon, Professor Maria Hayward, Dr John McAleer, Professor Christer Petley, Professor Mark Stoyle
Subjects include The British empire, the Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany and Vichy France
Dr David Cox, Professor David Brown, Dr Eve Colpus, Dr Jonathan Conlin, Professor Mark Cornwall, Dr Hormoz Ebrahimnejad, Dr Elisabeth Forster, Dr George Gilbert, Professor Neil Gregor, Professor Tony Kushner, Dr Claire Le Foll, Dr John McAleer, Dr Pritipuspa Mishra, Dr Christopher Prior, Professor Joachim Schlör, Dr Joan Tumblety, Professor Chris Woolgar
Subjects include the Cold war, the Holocaust, the War on Terror
Dr Elisabeth Forster, Dr Alexander Ferguson, Dr Chris Fuller, Professor Kendrick Oliver, Professor Adrian Smith, Professor Ian Talbot, Dr Charlotte Riley, Dr Eleanor Quince
Find out which geographical areas are covered by our research staff
Professor David Brown, Dr Eve Colpus, Dr Jonathan Conlin, Professor Anne Curry, Dr Julie Gammon, Professor Maria Hayward, Dr Nicholas Karn, Dr Andy King, Dr Craig Lambert, Professor Tony Kushner, Dr John McAleer, Dr Christopher Prior, Dr Louise Revell, Dr Charlotte Riley, Professor Mark Stoyle, Professor Adrian Smith, Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith, Professor Chris Woolgar
Dr Rémy Ambühl, Dr Annelies Cazemier, Professor Peter Clarke, Professor Anne Curry, Dr Nicholas Karn, Dr Andy King, Professor Mark Cornwall, Professor Neil Gregor, Dr Claire Le Foll, Professor Sarah Pearce, Dr Louise Revell, Professor Joachim Schlör, Dr Joan Tumblety, Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith
Dr Annelies Cazemier, Dr Hormoz, Ebrahimnejad, Dr Elisabeth Forster, Dr Pritipuspa Mishra, Professor Sarah Pearce, Dr Helen Spurling, Professor Ian Talbot, Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith
Dr Annelies Cazemier, Professor Sarah Pearce, Dr Christopher Prior, Dr Helen Spurling,
Dr Chris Fuller, Professor Kendrick Oliver, Professor Christer Petley, Professor Adrian Smith
We promote an interdisciplinary approach and our cutting-edge research feeds into our academic programmes.
The University of Southampton is one of the top 15 UK research universities.
Our academics are leaders in their discipline and span a range of research interests.
Find out what our students think about History.
History offers a wide range of stimulating and innovative courses for postgraduate students covering topics from antiquity to the contemporary world.
We are ranked among leading Universities in the UK for the study of History and are in the top 3 for the quality of our research (REF 2014): our students work with world-leading researchers.
A truly global perspective through space and time.
Congratulations to Khaleda Brophy-Harmer, MA History, who has been ...
Read MoreNeil Gregor, Professor of Modern European History at the University...
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