(1) Period or area of in-depth study
(a) stream modern European history
Europe from 1500 to the present
History of Europe (including the British Isles) from 1500 to the present (chose one of the Optional Subject classes of the M.Phil. in Modern European History)
(b) stream imperial and international history
British Commonwealth history since c. 1840
(Convenors: Dr John Darwin and Dr Jan-Georg Deutsch)
This course examines the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth up to the end of empire in the late 1960s. Among its major themes are: the geopolitical context of British empire-building; the creation of an imperial ideology; the economic development and/or exploitation of colonial regions and populations; systems of colonial rule and collaboration; the role of migration and settlement; indigenous resistance and racial conflict; the impact of world war and depression; the growth of colonial nationalisms; the onset (and explanations for) decolonization. The course embraces both the ‘formal’ empire (coloured red on the map) and the informal zones where British influence predominated (a good example is Egypt which was of exceptional geostrategic importance to British world power). It includes both ‘settlement colonies’ and colonies of rule in India and Africa.
Those taking this course will normally write a number of essays dealing with different themes and aspects. There is considerable freedom to select themes, topics and regions of particular interest. The main requirement is to gain a breadth of perspective by studying the varieties of empire and the course of change over time. Assessment is by submission of two 5000 word essays.
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History and historiography of modern China
(Convenor: Professor Rana Mitter)
This course focuses on modern Chinese History, considering topics such as the collapse of the late Qing (students might consider through their essays questions like ‘how important was opium to the collapse of the Qing dynasty?’ or ‘could the Qing state have coped better with internal rebellion?’), the May Fourth Movement (‘Why were May Fourth reformers so interested in ideas of “science and democracy”?’), the rise of Communism (‘How important was the peasant revolution to the Communist victory?’), China at war (‘How did the war against Japan change Chinese society?’), and the cultural revolution (‘Was the Cultural Revolution ultimately about power, not ideology?’).
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Aspects of social change in South Asia, c.1860 to the present
(Convenor: Professor Judith Brown)
The period since 1860 has been a time of unprecedented change in Indian society as a result of the imposition of imperial rule followed after 1947 by the operations of an interventionist, independent government. Significant themes include the inter-relationship of indigenous forces, ideals, and structures with those developing as a result of Western contact; the different strategies for social change adopted by government and by individual reformers; and the role of religion in social formation, and its response to a changing environment. The specific topics which will be covered (according to the interests of participants) include economic patterns in town and countryside; urbanization, internal migration, and population growth; education; Hindu social patterns (caste and untouchability); the role of women; and changing identities: ethnicity, region, and class.
History of the United States, and the colonies that preceded it, since 1600
The purpose of this element – two specialised 5,000-word essays – is to provide the student with an opportunity to master the historiography of two topics in American history, and to engage with some of the primary sources pertinent to them. The topics may be either thematically linked, or located in the same chronological period, but not both. Normally the student will be guided through this part of the course by her/his dissertation supervisor who will set appropriate assignments. Opportunity to make a seminar presentation will usually be given in the context of the American History Graduate Seminar.
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(2) Methodology papers corresponding to the chosen area of in-depth study
(a) stream modern European history
Methods in Early Modern History
(Convenors: Mr Robin Briggs and Professor Lyndal Roper)
This course is designed to introduce students to a number of broad themes in the history of Britain and Europe over the period roughly from 1500 to 1800. In particular, the objective is to make them aware of some of the principal strands in recent historical research, so that they will be better equipped to develop their own methodology in reference to their chosen areas of study. While there is a particular emphasis on social history, in its broadest sense, the themes range very widely; they usually possess political, economic, religious and intellectual dimensions, all of which will be open for discussion. – Although it is recognized that many students may wish to concentrate on the British aspects, the comparative perspectives opened up across a wider European scene will also form an important part of the course.
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Oral History. Theory and Practice
(Convenor: Dr Jan-Georg Deutsch)
The paper aims to introduce students to oral history. The proposed course consists of four parts.
The first part focuses on the history of the discipline. It examines the origins and development of the discipline over the past 50 years, especially the contribution oral history has made to recapture the past of the 'people without history' and other historiographically marginalized groups in diverse fields such as African and Asian studies, the history of every-day live, social history, gender history, and labour history.
The second part explores the theory of oral history and related historiographical debates, such as those concerning the narrativity of history, the construction of social memories, the interaction between memory and literacy, and the political and social significance of ceremonial commemorations will be examined in some detail.
The third part then concentrates on the practice of oral history. Here students will be made familiar with the basic techniques of how to conduct interviews and to preserve the resulting oral records. Students will also be made aware of the ethical and methodological problems which arise in the creation and interpretation of oral sources.
Finally, in the fourth part, students will be asked to design and conduct a small oral historical project and, after having done that, to reflect on their experience.
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Sources and Methods
(Convenors: Dr Faramerz Dabhoiwala and Ms Joanna Innes)
This course aims to introduce students to source critical and methodological issues which arise from various kinds of archival and other evidence available for interpretation by the historian. The course consists of two sessions each week, a structured class (run by the course convenors) and a parallel reading group (where class members are expected to take turns in leading the discussion). – Topics usually covered by the course include: the contrast between the grand historical biography and the lives of common people; methodological problems of gender history; using quantitative data as illustration or argument in the field of social history; possibility and desirability of establishing the intentions of the author of a historical document; the value of personal responses by participants and observers of historical events; the contextual limitations of historical records such as trial reports and parliamentary minutes; historians’ intellectual and practical commitments as an influence on their historiographical practice.
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Modern Political and Social Theory
(Convenors: Mr Peter Ghosh)
The aim of this paper is to supply a panorama of developing modernity in 19th- and early 20th-century Europe and America, as seen through the eyes of some of its leading political and social theorists. These theorists have been chosen primarily on grounds of their perceived intellectual stature, but also to convey the greatest possible variety of concerns, perspectives and national backgrounds. One will meet here with discussions of capitalism, class and charisma; of democracy, liberty and elitism; of utopia, relativism and disenchantment; of gender and evolution; of nature and history; of scientism and the revolt against it; of social and political science. The authors of this variety come from five different nations, leaving no major ‘Western’ national tradition unrepresented. It should be stressed that this is a paper for theoretically concerned historians: that is, for those who believe that texts should be studied not only for their own internal meanings, but also with reference to other texts, to intellectual tradition, and to the broader political and social contexts from which our authors emerged. Notwithstanding talk of ‘post-modernity’ and the “death” of Marx, serious attempts by later 20th-century writers to talk about society and politics without substantial reference to their 19th- and early 20th-century forebears have so far proved largely unsuccessful: this course seeks to give some indication as to why that is so.
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(b) stream imperial and international history
Concepts and methods of imperial history
(Convenors: Dr John Darwin and Dr Jan-Georg Deutsch)
Like all branches of history the history of empire must be approached through concepts and with a sense of awareness of the methods of historical inquiry that are being used. Indeed, anyone reading an historical account of the rise and impact of the British or European overseas empires will be struck by the way that certain key ideas and arguments frame the discussion. The fact that imperialism and colonialism have been intensely controversial has made the meaning of the terms used to describe them all the more contested. This course is designed to encourage debate and discussion of some of these key concepts (including ‘resistance’, ‘colonial nationalism,’ ‘exploitation’, ‘collaboration’, ‘decolonization’ and ‘imperialism’ itself) as well as exploring the contribution that gender, environmental history and international relations can make to the understanding of imperial history. It will also cover the variety of methods available to the historian of empire, including archival inquiry, oral history and the use of relevant techniques in the social sciences.
Research methods (East Asia)
(Convenor: Professor Rana Mitter)
The Research Methods course comprises two parts: Part One on concepts and concept formation and Part Two on research practice and methods.
Part One invites students to explore the relationship between the social science disciplines (such as sociology, anthropology and political science) and the empirical study of an ‘area’ such as China and to reflect on strategies for integrating social science theory with the production of area-specific knowledge. This conceptual part of the course also considers the ethical dimensions of social science research and the politics of knowledge production.
Part Two takes students through a range of practical approaches to research design, data gathering and data analysis. For each of these teaching sessions, a study of approaches to the collection and analysis of different kinds of data is combined with an examination of the challenges and opportunities involved in applying these approaches in the ‘area’ of China Studies. Topics to be covered in this part of the course include the use of historical archives; the collection and analysis of oral narratives and written texts; interviewing, ethnography and fieldwork; social surveys and questionnaire design; simple strategies for data management and data presentation; and an introduction to basic statistics and the interpretation of quantitative data. In class exercises and in assessed written work students will be required to obtain and demonstrate a general understanding of approaches to research whilst at the same time enjoying the opportunity and flexibility to specialise in accordance with individual disciplinary and research interests.
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Concepts and methods in South Asian History
(Convenors: Professor Judith Brown)
This methodology paper is taught in Michaelmas Term and aims to introduce students to some of the core issues in modern South Asian History and to some of the major debates in the historiography of South Asia. It covers issues such as the nature and impact of imperial rule, the meaning of caste, the nature and role of India’s religious traditions, issues of gender, the idea and reality of Indian nationalism, and debates focussing on Orientalism and History ‘from below’/ ‘Subaltern History’. It is taught through classes and students are required to write four essays during the term. Final assessment happens through a three-hour examination in Trinity Term.
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Methods and evidence in the history of the United States of America
(Convenors: Professor Richard Carwardine and Professor Peter Onuf in Michaelmas Term; Dr Gareth Davies and Dr Stephen Tuck in Hilary Term)
This course explores the development of American historical writing from the 1890s to the present and examines how successive generations of historians have addressed issues of method and evidence. The subject is pursued in a weekly class over two terms. For each session class members are assigned key texts relating to a particular topic; they take turns in leading the discussion. The first term covers the major developments in historical writing from the professionalization of the discipline at the end of the nineteenth century through to the 1980s. Topics usually covered in this term include: Frederick Jackson Turner and the frontier thesis; Charles Beard and the Progressive historians; the consensus school; the New Left; history from below and the new social history; cliometrics and quantitative history; and cultural approaches to political history. During the second term, which focuses on contemporary debates in historical writing, the topics usually covered include: the new western history; religion; the cultural turn and cold war history; conservatism; gender; new directions in political history; ethnicity, nationalism, and whiteness; and the grass-roots struggle for racial equality.
The structure of this paper allows students to pursue their specialised interests in particular periods and themes of American history while at the same time ensuring that they get a broad grounding in American historiography. Feedback questionnaires provide evidence that, whatever their intended specialism, students find the classes relevant and rewarding.
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Standard papers in the Master of Studies in History
