Oxford Centre for Economic and Social History

Description

Oxford is a leading international centre in economic and social history, boasting one of the largest concentrations of scholars in the field. The Centre acts as a hub, bringing together economic and social historians across several Oxford faculties.

The Oxford Centre for Economic and Social History builds on a long and established tradition of teaching and research at the University of Oxford. In recent years, the group has provided Presidents of the Economic History Society, Economic History Association, and European Historical Economics Society; won several major research awards (including the Economic History Association’s Gerschenkron, Ranki, and Cole Prizes, the Explorations Prize in Economic History, and the European Research Council’s Advanced Investigator Award); and delivered prestigious invited lectures such as the Economic History Society's Tawney Lecture.

The Centre works with the History Faculty and Department of Economics to coordinate and facilitate graduate programmes in the discipline. It organises two weekly economic and social history seminars, and other events involving faculty and students. The Centre also publishes, in collaboration with the Department of Economics, the Oxford University Discussion Papers in Economic and Social History.

Oxford's economic and social historians are diverse. They conduct research spanning a wide range of periods and regions, and are acknowledged leaders and innovators in social science, historical and statistical methodology. Current research strengths include:

Anthropometrics and child welfare
The industrial revolution and innovation
Long run British economic history
Comparative productivity and living standards
19th and 20th century financial history
Trade and globalization
Business history
Economic history of the Islamic world

The Centre hosts public and disciplinary events, workshops and colloquiums. The research community in economic and social history revolves around two core seminars, the Research Seminar in Economic and Social History (Tuesdays) and the Economic and Social History Graduate Seminar (Wednesdays). The History Faculty also runs a Seminar in Medieval Economic History (Thursdays).