to the webpages of the Division for Early Modern History at the University of Bremen! The Division for Early Modern History focuses on events, processes, research questions and problems between 1450 and 1850. It was during this period of upheaval and re-orientation, known also as premodernity, that far-reaching changes affecting all areas of society took place, effecting transformations without which the modern world would be unimaginable (state formation, confessionalisation, media revolution, the Scientific Revolution). In particular, the entangled histories between Europe and the rest of the world date back to this period. At the same time the early modern period functioned according to its own logics of action and values, many of which have become foreign to us today. Focusing on this period thus not only acquaints us with traditions that reach into our present; it is also an exercise in comprehending the ‘other’ as well as a variety of historical perspectives.

The Division covers all aspects of early modern history, with a geographical focus on the German-speaking regions, the Atlantic basin, western and southern Europe and the interdependency between these regions and the rest of the world. We focus in particular on migration and human trafficking into the Old Empire, German involvement in slavery and the slave trade, as well as the legal history of slavery and abolitionism (e.g. ERC consolidator grant project ‘German Slavery’; Opus Magnum grant Volkswagen foundation). Another longterm research focus comprises the history of sport and physical exercise, body techniques, implicit knowledge and embodiment.