Welcome!

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The department „History and Cultures of Spaces in the Early Modern Period” is concerned with teaching and researching the spatial dimensions of historical societies. More specifically, we deal with the spaces of historical processes and events, conceptions of space, and the productions and changes of spaces; these can be of a material or immaterial nature. We examine concepts and definitions of space in historiography and their political instrumentalization in order to contribute critically to the history of the discipline.

As part of the Historisches Seminar at the University of Erfurt we see ourselves as a connecting axis between European history and the history of the various world regions. Establishing the professorship in 2009 (first, as a Heisenbergprofessur), the university contributed to the introduction of space as an analytical category in History and Cultural Studies.

More information on our courses can be found in the Teaching section.

You can gain insights into current research projects under Research. The focus is currently on the collaborative research group"Religion & Urbanity", a research project focussing on the emergence of globalised trade fairs and markets at the beginning of the modern period from a spatially oriented history of economics and globalisation point of view, as well as on the specialist editorship of the area "Spaces and Regions" for the Encyclopaedia of Modern Times - Online (German/English). The collaborative research group "Religion & Urbanity" (2018-2022) has been extended by four years (2023-2026). Further information can be found here.