We examine the impact of empires in Asia and of Asian cultures on Europe, while challenging Eurocentric approaches to the study of the past.

Our expertise ranges across East, South, Southeast, Central and West Asia, with our strengths lying in the fields of cultural, social, political, environmental and medical history.

Collectively, our concern is with material, cultural and political engagement. We make contributions to area studies and debates about the causes and consequences of globalisation.

Hawa Mahal Palace, India. Tall red building decorated with white accents.

Specialisms

  • The formation and influence of Asian diasporas, notably in Eastern and Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Western Europe
  • The social history of space through transport, landscape and ecology; the interaction of European and Asian belief systems
  • State formation, with a particular focus on the practices of colonial bureaucracies
  • The origins and effects of political constructs, such as nation, community and empire
  • Ideologies, such as anti-imperialism, communism and Bushido

People

Our staff have contributed significantly to the wider research culture in the UK and internationally: