Centre for Historical Research Saint Petersburg

The Centre for Historical Research is the research division of the Department of History. The Centre facilitates individual and collective research and provides organizational support for Russian and international research conferences and seminars. The Centre hosts international associate research fellows and integrates their individual research into collective research projects.

In accordance with the strategic mission of the Department of History, the activities of the Centre for Historical Research are focused on historical studies of Early Modern, Modern and Contemporary History and aimed at developing innovative methodological approaches of global, comparative, and transnational history. In its mission, the Centre draws on the strategic location of St. Petersburg, a city of rich historical legacy and archival collections, which is also the historic locus of Russia’s opening to the West, of historical crossing between Europe and the Orient, and of the seat of imperial power in the Russian Empire of the XVIII, XIX, and early XX centuries. The aim of the Centre is also to foster cross-disciplinary connections in historical research.

The Centre coordinates research projects in several fields:

• Comparative studies of Empire, Nationalism, and Colonialism;
• Environmental history and history of technology and mobility;
• History of Construction of Political Borders Boundaries, Cultural Boundaries, and Contact Zones;
• Intellectual history and political theory.

The Centre for Historical Research provides a platform for bridging research and education in the department of history and for involvement of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students in historical research.