Department of History

Our programmes equip students with in-depth knowledge about the interplay between past and present. The present did not come about by accident, but has been shaped by complex processes. We explore both the nature and construction of these processes.

The aim of our programmes is to establish a link between the present and the past by noting how current trends developed over time. An attempt is made to scrutinise general views about the past in a well-grounded, critical way. We encourage students to further develop their own research interests from one of the focal areas given below under the individual guidance of one of our lecturers.

Focal areas

• Historical dimensions in the development of community identity in South Africa
• Working class history
• Environmental history
• War and society (the socio-cultural influence of wars on societies over the long term)
• Business history
• History, production of heritage and tourism
• Sport, leisure and society
• Water history
• Historical perspectives on sex in South Africa