The Department of History at Essex offers research-led and innovative teaching in a friendly atmosphere. We specialise in people's histories that help us connect the past with the present and with ourselves.
Our courses explore the history of people and cultures spanning Britain, Europe and the globe; giving you a ground zero view of the events, ideas and movements that made the world we live in today. As a diverse group of publicly engaged scholars, we train you to apply historical skills to do your own research, and take history into the community.
We pride ourselves on being a department that refuses intellectual straitjackets. We enjoy the mix of areas and specialisms found along our corridors. The pattern of appointments to our department has deliberately brought together a group of scholars with a wide range of approaches and fields: Britain, Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia are all represented, as are the relations between them.
Although most of us have published specialist works which deal with particular countries and localities, we prefer not to study one country or region in isolation, but with a comparative, interdisciplinary approach.
"Our Multicultural Britain: A History module epitomizes our concern to explain today’s big issues historically. Its cutting-edge teaching and assessments give students the tools they need to navigate the present."
The Department of History has a huge variety of research interests, ranging from social and cultural history to politics and international relations. We are internationally recognised for the quality of our research across a broad range of areas from 1450 to the present and more than two-thirds of our research was rated 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the REF 2014.
If you would like any more information about History or have a question you would like to ask, please complete this short enquiry form.