Research in the History Department
RAE 2008 has ranked Queen Mary among the top 15 research universities in the UK. Nearly a third of the History department's research has been rated as 'world leading' and nearly two-thirds as 'internationally excellent' or better. Several members of the department have won prestigious prizes for their work, and many have international reputations that extend beyond the specialist scholarly world. More than fifty authored books have been published by members of the Department since 2001, in addition to more than twenty edited works, the range and quality of which will be clear from individual entries on this site.
Five members of staff have been elected Fellows of the British Academy, while members of the Department have recently been awarded the Wolfson and Heinemann Prizes and Times Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award. This lively research environment stimulates new ideas across our discipline and feeds directly into our teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The Department has distinctive research strengths through which we are able to support and complement each other's work
We have a particularly strong representation in the twentieth century, most notably through the activities of the Mile End Group, which focuses on British political history, but also in areas of European history from France and Italy to Russia and Germany and in American history. Our research expertise in these areas is reflected in the success of our MA Programmes, such as the MA in Modern and Contemporary British History, which attract students internationally every year, our flexible and student-centred MA in History, and also in our flourishing recruitment of PhD candidates.
Another long-established focus at Queen Mary has been medieval history. We have recently launched a new website devoted to medieval studies, QMed, and we offer specialised research training in this field through the MA in European Religious Cultures and the very popular MA in Crusader Studies.
New areas of collective focus include renaissance history, eighteenth-century studies, and intellectual history and the history of political thought. The latter is pursued under the auspices of the new Centre for the Study of the History of Political Thought, and attracts postgraduate students through the new MA in the History of Political Thought and Intellectual History, on which several members of the department teach.
Our research culture is also fostered by regular seminars, both formal and informal. We benefit from our London location, and many of us are involved in research projects within the capital, notably at the Institute of Historical Research, where many of us convene seminar series. We are also involved in strategic research alliances with the University of London Institute in Paris. Closer to home, members of the department are involved in organising interdisciplinary seminars and lectures at Queen Mary, the successful programme at the Centre for Renaissance Studies being just one example, and we meet regularly, as historians, in departmental seminars of our own. There are also several seminar series specifically for graduates, and our research students take an active part in choosing speakers and setting agendas for debate. They also work in an interdisciplinary environment to set up initiatives, such as QM Music and Sound.