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78282-01 - Seminar: Entangled Empires: Approaches to Trans-imperial History (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Corey David Ross (corey.ross@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Moritz von Brescius (moritz.vonbrescius@unibas.ch) |
| Content | Transimperial history is a new field at the crossroads of global history, imperial studies, and postcolonial theory. It examines how empires interacted—through competition, cooperation, and entanglement—rather than treating them in isolation. This seminar explores such connections in the modern world through primary sources and ego-documents, with case studies ranging from rival world exhibitions and research expeditions in Africa and Asia to collaborative resource projects and military campaigns like the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. We will also reflect on the blind spots of this perspective, its relation to global history, and consider what a transimperial history of Switzerland might reveal about plantations, slavery, foreign investment, and the global commodity trade. |
| Learning objectives | By studying a wide range of literature and sources, seminar participants will gain a detailed understanding of the interconnectivity between empires in modern history (how the overlapping dynamics of cooperation and competition shaped imperial rule) as well as a critical grasp of the advantages, challenges and limitations of ‘trans-imperial’ approaches to writing history. |
| Bibliography | - Daniel Hedinger and Nadin Heé, “Transimperial History: Connectivity, Cooperation and Competition,” Journal of Modern European History 16, no. 4 (2018): 429–52. - Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper, Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010). - Kristin Hoganson and Jay Sexton (eds), Crossing Empires: Taking U.S. History into Transimperial Terrain (Durham: Duke University Press, 2020). |
| Comments | Number of places is limited to 30 students. In case of overbooking, priority will be given to students of the Master's Program in European Global Studies and the MA/BA in History. |
| Weblink | Europainstitut |
| Admission requirements | keine |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 25.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Wednesday 04.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 11.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 18.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 25.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 01.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 08.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 15.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 22.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 29.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 06.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 13.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 20.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Wednesday 27.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Europa Global (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Frühe Neuzeit (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Mittelalter / Frühe Neuzeit (Master's degree subject: History) Modul: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master's degree subject: History) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Specialization Module Global Europe: Statehood, Development and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Essay (70%) and Presentation (30%) -- to be confirmed |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Europainstitut |