Modern British and Irish History

The study of modern British and Irish history is constantly evolving, as historians discover new sources, pose fresh questions, and develop new theories. Cambridge historians of modern Britain and Ireland have been at the forefront of research on the histories of politics, race and empire, social and economic change, feminism, sexuality, fertility and mortality, religion, heritage, national identity, education and transnational cultural exchanges.

Our size and range mean that we can provide high-level academic expertise and research supervision on any aspect of the rich and diverse history of modern Ireland and Britain.

Thanks to a series of new appointments, augmenting established strengths in the history of population and the family, Cambridge now has an unequalled array of academics, research students, seminars and research resources in this field.  Our researchers cover all aspects of gender history in Britain and Ireland since 1750, with special interests in family policy, suffrage, feminism, sexuality, gender and employment.

Long an historic strength of the Cambridge History Faculty, modern British and Irish political history here has extended its reach considerably in the last generation as the scope of the field expands, to consider both elite and popular politics and their complex interaction, the history of political ideas, the history and practice of public policy, and a capacious understanding of ‘the political’ that takes in informal social hierarchies and power struggles in and outside of the formal political system.  All four nations of the United Kingdom as well as the union itself and its empire are covered.

Cambridge was one of the pioneers in the growth of economic history early in the 20^th century and remains today one of its pre-eminent centre, seeking to broaden the scope and deepen conceptual developments in social, demographic and environmental history.

In addition to the powerful Cambridge tradition in the history of political ideas, modern British and Irish historians here specialize in the wider range of ideas and cultural practices, including religion, education, national heritage and national identity, race and ethnicity.  They maintain close ties to other departments, notably the social-science departments and our world-class department in the History and Philosophy of Science.

Irish history is a current strength of the Cambridge History Faculty, with close ties to other departments studying Irish literature and culture, a dedicated Irish history seminar and researchers who cover the history of Ireland both inside and outside the United Kingdom from the 18^th century to the present. Our researchers cover all aspects of Irish history with special interests in minorities, political thought, religion, government policy, civil society, war, the diaspora, famines, Empire and memory, and several historical approaches frame our thinking including gender, social, cultural, economic, transnational and political history.

The British Isles cannot and should not be studied in isolation, and Cambridge has a long tradition of considering it in a global context. Our recent appointments in Black British history and Irish history have given us new expertise on the Caribbean and its diaspora in Britain, as well as Ireland and the Irish in the wider world, and we continue to work closely with colleagues in World History on the histories of Africa and Asia. We chart political and cultural interactions between Britain, Ireland and the world, the movements and settlement of peoples, the role of foreign relations in shaping domestic politics, and the impact of race, slavery, nation, government policies, empire and decolonization.