Find out about the UBC Department of History’s Research Clusters
Critical Archives Cluster (2022-23)
Convener: Kelly McCormick
The Critical Archives cluster meets once a month to discuss interdisciplinary perspectives that challenge the parameters of archives. Addressing the power structures of archives and searching for creative solutions to its absences we think collaboratively about how to work with and against its structures. Our readings and discussion make connections across postcolonialism, critical race studies, feminism, queer theory and deconstructionism, and themes of social justice and equity. Our community and discussion are made stronger by expertise from across geographic space and time – all are welcome!
Global Pre-Modern Research Cluster (2022-23)
Convener: Sara Ann Knutson, John Christopoulos, Shoufu Yin.
This cluster is inspired by a desire for a multidisciplinary community with shared and varied interests in global pre-modern studies. It serves as a forum for faculty, sessional and limited-term instructors, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and interested undergraduate students affiliated across department at UBC as well as interested participants beyond UBC. The Global Pre-Modern research cluster conceives of ‘pre-modern’ as global in its geographic breadth and flexibly ranging in its temporal scope from ancient times up to 1800. The group embraces a plurality of perspectives to the past and the evidence used to study the past, including textual, material, oral, and visual sources. The cluster meets primarily to hear talks and discuss papers by presenters from various departments (including Asian Studies, CENES, AMNE, Economics, English, FHIS, History, I School, Music, Anthropology and Philosophy) and from invited speakers.
To be added to the mailing list or other queries please contact Sara Ann Knutson at sa.knutson@ubc.ca
One of the cluster aims is to further deploy what Taiwanese scholar Chen Kuan-hsing termed ‘Asia as Method’ through an ‘inter-Asia referencing’ that emphasizes overlapping local and regional connections, centering ‘Asia’ as the point of reference. As such, we are interested in research that adopts unique approaches and methodologies relevant to the study of colonialisms, imperialisms,