About us

The Department of History is part of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy and is headed by a department chair, currently Koenraad Verboven. The chair is assisted by the department secretary, Astrid Schoeters, and by the chair of the programme committee, currently Anne-Laure Van Bruaene.

Research

The Department of History brings together a wide range of research expertise. The research interests of the more than 150 researchers span four historical periods (antiquity, the Middle Ages, the early modern period, and the modern and contemporary periods) through the lens of diverse, cross-period approaches and methodologies, such as socio-economic history, environmental history, cultural history, meta-history and public history. Geographically, the focus is naturally strongly on the Low Countries and Belgium, but a significant proportion of the research focuses on other geographical areas such as the Mediterranean world, the Near East, the African continent and South America. The researchers are organised into eight research groups and two core facilities, which combine these chronological and geographical divisions with thematic focuses. Through these research groups, core facilities and the presence of no fewer than five ERC projects, the department forms a dynamic and internationally oriented research community, which combines innovative and ambitious research with the classical historical methods that have been practised within the department for over a century.

Read all about the research activities at the Department of History via Research.

Programmes and courses

The History program at Ghent University teaches students to formulate sharp research questions and critically analyze historical sources based on a strong foundation in methodology. It combines an in-depth understanding of the past—from antiquity to the present—with a broad education in the humanities and social sciences. The program emphasizes communication skills, enabling students to conduct independent research and contribute to public discourse. The biennial “Verleden Week” project week encourages students to engage with public discourse and collaborate with other researchers and external partners in conducting research.

Discover the opportunities offered by a history degree in Ghent via Programmes & Courses.

Social engagement

The Department of History aims to communicate the research carried out within the department to the wider public as much as possible. The main public engagement initiatives can be found on this website. Through two core facilities (the Quetelet Centre and the Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities), our expertise is made available for wider societal projects. In addition, the department works closely with societal partners such as archive institutions, heritage organisations and museums. In this way, the department combines academic excellence with inclusivity, collaboration and social engagement.