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.
11 courses available
The Spanish Empire: Power, Conquest, and LegacyJoin Dr. Maisa Edwards to explore the rise, global reach and fall of the Spanish Empire from the 1400s to the 1800s.
Online
Tue 10 Nov 2026Maisa EdwardsFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00- European global empires
This course compares the main European global empires - Spanish, British, Portuguese and Dutch - by taking a thematic approach to the acquisition of empire, settlement, history and legacy in each case.
Keeley Street
Thu 7 Jan 2027Michael SchraerFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Global encounters: Europe and the Ottoman Empire, 1100-1700The Turks entered European consciousness in 1071 when they captured the Byzantine emperor at the Battle of Manzikert. So began centuries of uneasy co-existence between Christians and Muslims on the fringes of Europe.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
- The French colonial Empire and its demiseWhy did France acquire a vast colonial empire and how was it run? Why was decolonisation peaceful in some parts while in Indochina and Algeria, independence was only gained after violent wars? What were the consequences of decolonisation?
Keeley Street
Thu 14 Jan 2027Sebastien ArdouinFull fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Global encounters: beyond Europe in 12 Objects, 1500-1750
Twelve objects tell extraordinary tales of European adventures in Africa and the Far East. Six weeks of spice routes, silk roads, and surprising encounters. History's treasures await your discovery!
Online
Thu 14 Jan 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - East and Central African history - a brief introduction
Want to know more about East and Central African history but not sure where to start? Join us in this course to get a footing and build knowledge and appetite for more African history!
Keeley Street
Fri 15 Jan 2027Martin JorgensenFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Seventy years in the Soviet grip: the experience of the people of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia within the USSRJoin us to explore the long period during which the different nations of the South Caucasus were part of the Soviet Union, starting with their annexation and ending with the break-up of the Soviet state seventy years later, which resulted in renewed independence for the three republics. This experience was at different times revolutionary, traumatic, stultifying and nation-shaping.
Online
Thu 21 Jan 2027David RowsonFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Global History Friday Lates: tea & tea trading
Explore the fascinating history of tea consumption in Britain and the global trade networks that brought it here.
Online
Fri 29 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Turkish Letters and More: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762)
Writer, traveller, social critic, and medical innovator, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was a remarkable woman. We look at her contribution to 18th-century literature, her groundbreaking travel writing, and advocacy for smallpox inoculation.
Keeley Street
Sat 6 Mar 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Lunchtime Lecture: Britain, Nuclear Testing & The Christmas Island Controversy
During this lunchtime lecture we will assess the role of Britain in nuclear testing, developments and warfare in the late 1950s with reference to the controversy surrounding the detonation of Nuclear bombs off the coast of Christmas Island in the Pacific. Tutor: Ellen Carpenter. Ellen is the daughter of a British Christmas Island veteran.
Keeley Street
Tue 22 Jun 2027Ellen CarpenterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empireFormally, 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.
Keeley Street
Fri 9 Oct 2026Martin JorgensenFull fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £5.00
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