History (Research)

The Department of History delivers expert postgraduate supervision by internationally recognised scholars in a wide range of subject areas. The department offers a lively research community in the setting of an exciting city and region with a rich heritage. Excellent research resources are available for postgraduate study locally (for example in the library's Special Collections department and its print holdings: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/library/special-collections/), online through the library's database subscriptions, and in close proximity to the city.

Members of the History department publish and supervise research in a range of areas within the broad fields of cultural, social, economic and political history. We cover the medieval, early modern and modern periods. We also range over the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Antarctica. Our research culture is diverse and dynamic, and our collective work includes interests in political culture, studies of people and ideas on the move, environmental history, public and creative histories, and work on visual and material culture alongside colleagues in the Department of the History of Art.

Prospective applicants should make contact with a potential supervisor before submitting an application to discuss their proposed research questions, the state of the proposed field of study and appropriate primary source material.

In addition to topics focusing on single research areas, we actively encourage interdisciplinary research that cuts across the spectrum of historical studies, or other intellectual disciplines in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences and beyond.

Possible start dates are September 2026 and January 2027. Please see the programme page on our website for more information.