Imperial, international, and global history are lively, fast-growing fields at Oxford. Traditionally outstanding in Imperial and Commonwealth history, Oxford historians are now directing their attention to the ways in which the processes of imperial expansion were also those of globalisation, as European powers contested control of the Americas, Africa and Asia with local states and civilisations. Oxford’s imperial, international and global historians range from the early nineteenth century to the present, and across Latin America, Africa, India, South East Asia, China, and Japan. They encourage study of social, economic and cultural history, as well as more traditional institutional and political topics. Among their current interests are the transformation of pre-colonial economies, societies and cultures, the experience and practice of colonial rule, and the emergence of colonial nationalisms, post-colonial societies and nation-states, and patterns of colonial and post-colonial migration. Another academic group interested in migration patterns and policies can be found at COMPAS. Some of its members are historians by discipline. Oxford is uniquely-endowed with resources for the field, possessing in the Rhodes House and Indian Institute Libraries major manuscript, printed and monographic collections. Research students are positively expected to go at least once to do field or archival work in the countries of their study, and the Beit Fund exists to enable such visits.
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