Current research in the Division for Early Modern History pursues the following themes and approaches:

• Cultural, social and legal historical approaches attending, in particular, the everyday practices and experiences of those not at the centre of major political events.
• Research exploring the repercussions of colonialism and globalisation on Europe as well as the entangled histories of Europe and the rest of the world.
• Research on migration and human trafficking into the Holy Roman Empire, German involvement in slavery and the slave trade, as well as the legal history of slavery and abolitionism in the Old Empire and its neighbouring states (see ‘German Slavery’).
• Publications, presentations and exhibitions on body techniques, implicit knowledge, embodiment and the history of sport and physical exercise.
• Contributions to the history of science, the history of the senses and the history of technology in the area of ocean exploration and (underwater) seafaring.
• Interdisciplinary cooperations in particular with researchers from literary and cultural studies, the history of science and medicine, music and architectural history.
• Geographical focus on the Holy Roman Empire, western and southern Europe (Italy, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands), and the entangled histories of these regions and countries outside of Europe.