Global & Imperial History
Courses Online & in London
Thousands of years ago humanity migrated to almost every part of the world and as a consequence our history has since been global. Evidence from several thousand years show how the regions we now call the Middle East, South Asia and inland China were the first to see the emergence of agriculture and empires, each region defined by its eco-systems. Later, similar developments took place in Western and Central Africa and in Central and South America. Lastly, the region we later called Europe followed.
Since then, the connections between and within the different regions of the world have waxed and waned through the transfer of people, technologies, ideas, belief systems, and wealth. For several centuries this process has been defined by imperial cooperation, competition and conflict on the one hand and human creativity and resilience on the other. Much contested around the world, Europe emerged to become a global influence in this period, remaking several regions via the connections between with the imperial expansion and settler colonial state building of the 19th century, capitalism and industrialisation.
Today, historians are exploring these connections and their often-violent consequences with greater understanding than previously and, in the process of overcoming the Eurocentric and/or US-centric overall perspective(s), which came to dominate the discipline. This process is far from easy or simple, however. There is no quick fix. It is a longer conversation.
In recognition of this, we aim to make our courses not only enjoyable but also relevant to further your understanding of the varied links between our global past, present and future. Within our global and imperial history category, you will find courses of varying lengths as well as online, delivered either online or face-to-face, exploring different aspects of the journey to our global present.
Curious? Join us!
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
- A taste of global historyCourse start date: Fri 22 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenWhat is global history? How is it different from other ways of understanding history? Through an exploration of fossil fuels' impact on global history (and future), you will get a taste of what it means to study global history.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Ancient world civilisationsCourse start date: Wed 27 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Max CarocciThe course looks at major ancient civilisations around the world. Offering a fresh perspective on the emergence of
states, chiefdoms and empires, the ten lessons will examine relationships and influences between settled and nomadic peoples. - Friday Late: The British Empire, sugar & enslavementCourse start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterHow did sugar become central to Georgian dining and what impact did sugar consumption in Britain have on enslavement and the slave trade? Join us for a one-off Friday Late session on the history of sugar, sugar consumption in Britain and its darker associations with enslavement and slave produced crops in the Caribbean colonies.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Global maritime trade from 1500 to the presentCourse start date: Wed 4 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maisa EdwardsWant to explore the creation and shaping of major trade routes in the North and South Atlantic, the Indian and Pacific Oceans? Join us to consider their history, economics and defence systems.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - The Portuguese Empire; establishment, world-making, demise and legaciesCourse start date: Mon 9 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ingrid Aguiar SchlindweinA journey through the rise and fall of the Portuguese Empire. Uncover pioneering navigation, understand colonial societies in Brazil, Africa, and Asia through their economies, culture, independence struggles, and legacies.Full fee £69.00 - History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empireCourse start date: Fri 13 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenFormally, European imperialism ended decades ago. Yet, the different legacies still affect the world and many societies today. Join us for a discussion on why we need to talk about empire and mental wealth. This session is part of our Mental Wealth Festival hosted by City Lit and partners.Full fee £5.00 Senior fee £5.00 Concession £5.00 - Sport and empireCourse start date: Thu 19 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeySport was a key branch of imperialism providing an opportunity for Britain to take cultural control of her Empire. It was seen to encourage ‘civilisation’ and character development and helped to project a masculine image of the Empire to the wider world.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Diaspora history: Chinese communities around the worldCourse start date: Sat 21 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Qiuyang ChenTrace the movements of the Chinese diaspora from the 10th century to the present day and dive into case studies highlighting the Chinese communities’ integration and influence in different regions of the world.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Friday Late: Britain, global trading & the tea tradeCourse start date: Fri 27 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterHow did Britain’s love affair with tea begin and in what ways did it develop over the centuries? Who drank tea and why? Join us for this Friday Late session to discover the history of Britain’s tea trading, British consumption, and the shifting dynamics of the tea trade between Britain, China and India between the 1600s and the 1800s.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Global encounters: meet the MongolsCourse start date: Mon 30 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingAt its height the Mongol empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to eastern Europe. We explore how the Mongols interacted with the nations they conquered.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - The ‘Great Game’: Anglo-Russian rivalry in AsiaCourse start date: Wed 1 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThe Great Game evokes stories of spies, diplomatic intrigue, and wars in remote regions of Asia. But what was really the Great Game? Why did Britain and Russia become rivals? How did they seek to consolidate their positions? Why and how did it end?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Rise and fall of the Spanish global empire
Course start date: Thu 2 Nov 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael SchraerHow and why Spain won – and lost - the world’s first truly global empire; its impact on the Spanish colonies and on Spain itself; how far it acted as a model for the empires that followed.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - A brief introduction to global historyCourse start date: Fri 3 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenWhat is global history? How is it different from other ways of understanding history? This introductory course will give you a sense of what it means to study global history.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Colonial South Asia: power and resistanceCourse start date: Fri 3 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mirza Jaffer AbidWant to know about how people resisted British colonial rule in South Asia? Join us as we explore the various ways in which elite Indian thinkers, activists, peasant and subaltern classes resisted British imperialism.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Empresses and KhatunsCourse start date: Fri 3 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingTravel across Europe and the Eurasian steppe to compare and contrast the role and status of Greek empresses with Seljuk and Mongolian khatuns.Full fee £119.00
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