Economic and Social History

Pathway Leader:

Dr Sarah Marks s.marks@bbk.ac.uk

Team members:

Economic and Social History in the consortium is based primarily within the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck and the Department of History and the Institute of the Americas at UCL. Together they are amongst the most prestigious centres of historical research in the United Kingdom with long-established and world leading reputations for scholarship across the broad range of the discipline. Additional expertise is provided by UEL, which means that there is extensive supervisory capacity and many opportunities for joint supervision, training and research collaboration. History at both Birkbeck and UCL spans time and space – from prehistory to the 21st century, from London to India and China, and from the history of ideas to the history of things. Established strengths include the study of Britain and its empire; medieval, early modern and modern Europe; the Americas; and comparative and transnational history. The breadth of research is matched by a shared focus on key areas of historical enquiry such as the relationship between society, the economy and power, state formation and emergent fields of growing importance such as educational history, healthcare, gender history, environmental history and the study of technology and material and consumer culture. All training routes are available in full-time and part-time modes, to fit the varied backgrounds and professional commitments of students. There are two modes of entry either via a 1 year Masters (1+3) or directly on to a PhD (+3). The Birkbeck-based route is available to both 1+3 and +3 students. The UCL Route is offered to +3 structures and UEL will provide +3 supervision in additional specialist areas. Potential applicants should apply first to the department of their choice using the normal application procedure. They are encouraged to contact possible supervisors at our partner institutions or pathway leads: Birkbeck: Dr Sarah Marks s.marks@bbk.ac.uk ; UEL Kate Hodgkin k.hodgkin@uel.ac.uk