Research clusters
The Department of History hosts six research clusters that facilitate collaboration between staff and postgraduates around a range of historical themes and approaches.
Transnational Histories
This Cluster brings together historians exploring connections that transcend and challenge nation-states. From Christians in Vandal Africa (ca. 439 to 533 c.e.) to the twentieth century history of global friendships, our expertise in this area is wide-ranging.
Subthemes: “Mediterranean Worlds” and “Colonialism and Post-Colonialism”.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Harald Braun
Anna Bocking-Welch
Marios Costambeys
Bonnie Effros
Georgina Endfield
Deana Heath
Diana Jeater
Damien Kempf
James Lowry
Chris Pearson
Beatrice Penati
Robin Whelan
Michael Robinson.
Cultural and Social History
Historians at Liverpool have extensive and evolving interests in cultural and social history. With longstanding expertise in the histories of crime and gender, they are increasingly interested in sexuality, oral history and emotional history.
Subthemes “Emotions and Experiences,” “Oral History,” “Crime and Violence” and “Gender and Sexuality”.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Anna Bocking-Welch
Laura Balderstone
Harald Braun
Sam Caslin
Elaine Chalus
Roland Clark
Andy Davies
Bonnie Effros
Anna French
Deana Heath
Jonathan Hogg
Diana Jeater
Stephen Kenny
Graeme Milne
Chris Pearson
Andrew Redden
Laura Sandy
Mark Towsey.
Knowledge, Text and Archives
Our historians produce ground-breaking research on the many ways in which knowledge and memory function in historical societies. They explore how texts (oral, material and visual, as well as written) are produced, read, remembered, distributed, collected and stored for future generations, recovering the influence of ideas in changing cultures, economies and technologies.
Recent research programming includes Dark Medicine (funded by the Leverhulme Trust), Writing About Nations (sponsored by the Voltaire Foundation), Reading History (funded by the British Academy), Community Libraries (funded by the AHRC), Governance of Health (funded by the Wellcome Trust), Sudan Memory (funded by the British Council), and the Knowledge is Power exhibition (sponsored by Investec Asset Management) at the University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum.
Subthemes: “Expertise and Knowledge”, “Business and Industry”, “Collecting and Reading,” and “Histories of Science and Medicine”.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Will Ashworth
Harald Braun
Alexandrina Buchanan
Sam Caslin
Bonnie Effros
Georgina Endfield
Jon Hogg
Michael Hopkins
Stephen Kenny
James Lowry
Chris Pearson
Beatrice Penati
Sally Sheard
Victoria Stobo
Mark Towsey.
Religious Cultures
Historians involved in the Religious Cultures cluster research, write, and teach on religious ideas, practices, and institutions across a wide range of times and places. They are interested in how what the modern West understands as 'religion' has been embedded in and has shaped political, social, and cultural practices throughout history.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Anna Bocking-Welch
Harald Braun
Roland Clark
Marios Costambeys
Bonnie Effros
Anna French
Martin Heale
Diana Jeater
Andrew Redden
Robin Whelan.
Find out more about the study of religion at Liverpool.
Rural and Urban Environments
Questions of space, environment and materiality animate the work of many Liverpool historians. They have explored a range of urban and rural environments from the Caribbean to the former Soviet Union, and a variety of themes including the cultural history of weather, natural disasters, urban and suburban cultures, militarized environments and animal history. From wine in the Mediterranean region in the medieval period to dogs in modern London, New York and Paris, we investigate the fascinating links between people, places, animals and environments.
Subthemes: “Animals,” “Climate” and “Urban Cultures”.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Laura Balderstone
Alexandrina Buchanan
Elaine Chalus
Marios Costambeys
Andy Davies
Georgina Endfield
Cheryl Hudson
Damien Kempf
Graeme Milne
Chris Pearson
Beatrice Penati
Mark Towsey.
Political Histories and Cultures
The political interests of historians in this cluster span early modern to modern British, European and American history. We study political cultures over time and across national boundaries. Our research interests include sex, politics and corruption; the history of elections; considerations of citizenship and suffrage; questions of patronage and clientage; the changing nature of public policy; and the making of war and peace.
Subthemes: “Gender and Politics,” “Diplomacy and War”.
Using Primary Sources sample chapters:
Members
Harald Braun
Elaine Chalus
Michael Hopkins
Cheryl Hudson
Sally Sheard
Michael Robinson.