History offers postgraduate supervision across a broad range of fields,
along with coursework units and degrees which enable students to explore their
own interests as well as key theoretical, interpretive and methodological
questions about the nature of historical knowledge, research and writing.
Through seminars, conferences and reading groups, the section also aims to
provide a supportive environment for all postgraduate students. Historical
research is primarily concerned with interpretations of the past based upon the
careful analysis of evidence and the critical assessment of other perspectives.
Our courses also focus upon different approaches to the tasks of research,
interpretation and writing, and encourage students to address questions such as
the nature and status of different forms of historical evidence, the
'uses' of history in public debate, and the relationships between
history and other ways of recording and remembering the past. History's
questions are intrinsically fascinating: how can we know about the past? What
can we know? Who speaks in the historical record, and who does not? If the past
is written about in this way or that way, what are its consequences for
interpretations of the present and the future? Our aim is to provide research
and coursework students with the critical tools to undertake their own
investigations of past worlds and to explore their own answers to those
questions.
While history at Monash covers a broad span of fields, specific research
strengths include Indigenous history and the history of racial and ethnic
relations; the history of gender and sexuality, especially in Australia,
Britain and Europe during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries; Australian social
and cultural history, especially urban history, local history, public history
and social welfare; South and Southeast Asian history, Indonesian history and
the history of imperialism, colonialism and postcolonialism; European social
and cultural history, especially French history, German history, renaissance
studies, urban history, family history and the intellectual history of religion
and belief in medieval and early modern Europe; military history; American
history, especially social and cultural history; Jewish history; and biography,
autobiography, oral history, memory and life stories. Students with research
interests in areas such as public history and heritage should also refer to the
'Public history' entry. For a full list of staff and research
interests, see http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/history/staff/.
Research degrees in history combine detailed work in a particular area with
broader training in appropriate research skills and in understanding of the
changes within history as a discipline.
Supervisory expertise exists within the areas of medieval and renaissance, modern European, Asian, American and Australian history. There is also interest in research in the areas of cultural history, gender and history, religion and society, as well as ancient and modern Jewish civilisation, religion and history.
Research activities include regular research training and work-in-progress seminars, an annual one-day conference for the presentation of graduate research, and the editing of Eras, a refereed online journal.
History offers PhD and masters by research degrees. Refer to the research masters degrees and Doctor of Philosophy entries in the Arts research section for further information. See also the entry for 'Humanities, communications and social sciences' (Gippsland campus).
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