Instructor: Professor Paul Nelles
The exploration of space and place is now a well-established framework for the study of past societies. In comparison, the ‘mobility turn’ has struggled to migrate from the social sciences to the discipline of history. The study of the movement and circulation of people, objects, and ideas–whether local, transnational, or global–promises new perspectives in order to understand the dynamic material, social, and cultural processes that shaped the human past. This course combines theoretical and methodological readings on space, place, and mobility with historical case studies. An emphasis will be placed upon approaches in transnational, global, and ‘connected’ history, with examples chosen from both the early modern and modern periods. Readings may include, for example, work by Serge Gruzinski, Wolfgang Schivelbusch, and Sanjay Subrahmanyam. In the major research paper students will be encouraged to bring course concepts to bear on their own field of study.