European Expansion and Globalisation

Specialisation of: History
Degree: Master of Arts in History
Mode of Study: Full-time and part-time
Duration: 1 year (full-time); 1,5 years (part-time)
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 66034
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The Master’s programme in the History of European Expansion and Globalisation focuses on the global interaction between Europe and the other continents including Asia, Africa and the Americas. You will investigate the (reciprocal) political, socio-economic and cultural impact of colonial domination and post-colonial nation-building and development.
The programme stimulates a highly comparative and connective attitude towards cross-cultural phenomena such as diasporas, trading companies, maritime trade, including the slave trade, colonial empires, religious missions (both Christian and Islamic) and intelligence networks.


What makes the Leiden programme unique is the combination of this global, bird’s eye view with a down to earth, in-depth use of primary sources, always under the close supervision of first-class Leiden scholars.


Within this specialisation you can also focus on Maritime History or Archival Studies.

With effect from September 2012 the name of this specialisation will change to European Expansion and Globalisation.

With unique documentation centres and libraries on Asia and Africa within reach, as well as easy access to the National Archives and the Royal Library in The Hague, the programme is able to offer you one of the most in-depth and complete studies on the history of European expansion and globalisation currently available in the Netherlands.

Boasting an outstanding reputation within the field of global history, the research group on this specialisation works in close collaboration with the Forum for the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction (FEEGI) in the United States, and is responsible for the publication of the well-known research journal Itinerario.

Maritime history

Leiden University is the only university within the Netherlands with its own chair in maritime history. Maritime history covers the history of shipping across the early-modern, modern and present time in the Netherlands and in other countries with a sea-faring tradition.

Archival studies

Archival studies enable you to develop analytical skills to find out the context of archive creation. You will do so by focusing on subjects like information gathering activities, knowledge production, categorisation, the use and preservation of information and the systems that were developed to make information accessible. Special attention is paid to the role of records and archives in a colonial context. The power of Dutch government was largely based on meticulous record keeping. You will study these means and mechanisms of control intensively.

Prof. Henk te Velde

Henk te Velde

“Historians in Leiden use the riches of the University in order to give their students a good education.”

“Over a period of a few years, a whole new generation of professors has been appointed at the History Department in Leiden; the department is bustling with energy in a friendly and professional atmosphere. All sections of the department have their own attractions and strengths.

Our strong section of Ancient History, for instance, benefits from the presence in Leiden of the largest department of Classics in the Netherlands; Medieval History has a strong tradition of research in the later Middle Ages and is now joining forces with the specialists in the early modern period, who have a strong and promising research team working on public and private memory of the Dutch Revolt.

Historians of European expansion and globalisation are working together with specialists on non-European culture and history in other parts of the Faculty of Humanities, which has always been famous for its expertise in this field. They also co-operate with the specialists of the history of migration, which has rapidly developed into one of the new strengths of the department. One of the professors working in this area is based at the Campus The Hague of Leiden University.

In my own field of study, the history of political culture, we are working together with colleagues studying politics in such fields as political science and constitutional law. This combination also makes it easier to work together with government agencies, who are just around the corner, in The Hague. For classes on the history of political debate I myself benefit from the expertise of the colleagues of the Dutch department.

This again is just one example of the many ways historians in Leiden use the riches of Leiden University in order to give their students a good education and an exciting period of study.”