We believe that studying the past comes with a responsibility to the present. We train historians to use their knowledge as a powerful tool for understanding and transforming society and expanding global citizenship.
Staff and research
History at VU Amsterdam has an international reputation for innovative research in histories of colonialism, slavery, decolonisation and their legacies in the present. Our strengths are in understanding the histories of Europe’s entanglement with Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa. We specialise in local perspectives on global challenges like climate change, political conflict, war, inequality and social change. We are also renowned for our scholarship and projects on histories of water and environment, cities, and religious and cultural life in the Netherlands.
Find out more about our academic staff, PhD students and research projects in the following areas:
Cultural and Religious History
Study with us
History at VU Amsterdam gives students the freedom and choice to follow a range of study paths and develop their own strengths and interests. Our programs are human scale. Students receive intensive guidance in a close scholarly community, rather than disappear into anonymous lecture halls. Our internships and connections to institutions in Amsterdam provide opportunities for students to apply the History skills they learn with us beyond the classroom.
Did you know we are the only university in Amsterdam to offer a BA History in English? Our BA History and International Studies (HIS) integrates historical study with international relations to examine the structures shaping our connected world. Moving beyond Eurocentric perspectives, students analyse global power, diplomacy and conflict from multiple positions, addressing contemporary challenges with attention to marginalized voices and alternative frameworks.
We also offer the BA Geschiedenis (GES). This program provides rigorous, in-depth study of the historical forces that have shaped the modern world, with particular attention to the history of the Netherlands, Europe, cultural and religious history, and plenty of opportunity to advance academic research and learning in Dutch.
Our MA History is a one-year program that allows students to choose from four profiles:
- History of Social Movements
- Protest Power, Politics and Historical Injustice
- Religion, Culture and Civil Society
- Environmental History: Climate and Society.
We also offer a two-year Research Master: Global History for students who would like to combine these profile options with the chance to work on a longer research thesis.
News
Keep up to date with events, media activities and publications in History at VU Amsterdam here.