Centre for Early Modern Studies
The Centre for Early Modern Studies provides a focus for intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary activity between academic staff and postgraduate students. Colleagues involved in the Centre are engaged in research on all aspects of the period between c1500 and 1800 and expertise spreads from Britain and Europe to the Middle East and North America.
About the centre
Established in 2007, the Centre for Early Modern Studies capitalises on the exceptional concentration of scholars of the early modern era based at the University of Exeter. Formally located within the College of Humanities, it provides a focus for intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary activity between academic staff and postgraduate students in History, English, Drama, Modern Languages and Cultures, Art History and Visual Culture and Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology.
Led by the Co-Directors Dr Felicity Henderson (English), Dr James Fisher (History), Dr Laura Sangha (History) and Dr Kirsten Walsh (Philosophy) centre staff are engaged in research on all aspects of the period between c.1500 and 1800. Expertise ranges from Britain and Europe to the Middle East and North America. Key areas of activity include: religious culture; social and economic relations; political and intellectual thought; gender and sexuality; space, landscape and national identities; the history of the book; and theatre and performance.
Join our Mailing List
For information about CEMS activities please subscribe to our JiscMail mailing list:
- Go to the CEMS-EXETER page on the JiscMail site: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=cems-exeter
- In the 'Options' bar at the top, click on 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe' (there is no need to sign in).
- On the next page, fill in your name and click 'Subscribe (CEMS-EXETER)'.
When you have subscribed you will receive an automated welcome message from the JiscMail server. You are able to unsubscribe from the list at any time - simply follow the link above and click 'Unsubscribe' in the Options bar.
Contact Us
For enquiries please email the CEMS Co-Directors at CEMS@exeter.ac.uk. You can also follow the centre Bluesky account which is currently managed by Nick Collins.
Postal Address
The Centre for Early Modern Studies
History
College of Humanities
Amory Building
Rennes Drive
Exeter
EX4 4RJ
More information
The University of Exeter is very well equipped for research in the field of early modern studies. Library holdings in this area are strong and include access to the major online resources Early English Books Online (EEBO) and Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), as well as a wide range of electronic journals and other databases.
Special collections include substantial collections of early modern printed books, notably those in the collections of various Devon parish libraries, which are deposited here. It also houses a major collection of early modern Roman Catholic printed books, which, together with a series of precious medieval and post-Reformation manuscripts, form part of the Syon Abbey collection deposited here for safekeeping by the Bridgettine order.
Students working in this area also benefit from local access to the rich collections of books and manuscripts in the Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives, the Devon and Exeter Institution, and the Devon Record Office.
In recent years students working within the field of early modern studies have enjoyed considerable success in the annual AHRC doctoral studentship competitions. Students who are considering applying for AHRC funding should consult the AHRC's website in the first instance and also contact the College of Humanities' Graduate School Office at humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk.
Candidates who have completed the MRes in Economic and Social History may be eligible to apply for doctoral funding from the ESRC.
A number of disciplines offer internal studentships or graduate teaching assistantships. For further details, please consult the discipline webpages or contact the Graduate School Office.