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Studies & Degrees in Colonial Studies

Colonial studies examines how empires were built, how they ruled and what they left behind. It covers European expansion from the fifteenth century onwards, the settlement and exploitation of the Americas, Africa and Asia, slavery and the plantation economy, resistance and independence movements, and decolonisation in the twentieth century. The field draws on history above all, and also on literature, politics, anthropology and geography.

Students learn to work with sources: administrative records, letters, maps, newspapers, oral history and literary texts. They also learn to ask whose voice a source records and whose it leaves out. A closely related field, postcolonial studies, looks at the cultures and societies that came out of colonial rule, mainly through literature, film and theory.

Qualifications and levels

Few universities offer a degree with exactly this name. The subject is usually studied in one of three ways.

  • Within a bachelor's degree in history. Students choose modules on empire and colonialism. At Lancaster University the History BA Hons takes three years full time. Its modules include Forging India: South Asia from Empire to Nation, 1829-1964, which examines the debates and rebellions through which the European colonial project was resisted, and a module on colonial Jamaica that studies how settlers exploited the environment using enslaved African labour.
  • As a master's degree. A UK master's normally takes one year full time. The History MA at Lancaster University lasts one year full time or two years part time. The MA Postcolonial Studies at SOAS University of London is a named programme in the field: one year, starting in September, with 180 credits, of which 60 are a dissertation. It studies imperialism and colonialism from the late nineteenth century to the present through literature and culture, with texts from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Near and Middle East.
  • As a doctorate. Research on a colonial topic is carried out within a PhD in history, literature or area studies.

Related degree names to search for are imperial history, global history, postcolonial studies, and area studies such as Latin American, African or South Asian studies.

Admission

For its History BA, Lancaster University lists A level grades AAB as the typical requirement and, for applicants whose first language is not English, an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For the History MA it asks for a 2:2 honours degree, or an equivalent from another country, in history or a related humanities discipline. SOAS considers applications to its MA with a 2:2 or the international equivalent in a social science or humanities subject. Requirements are set per course and year, so check the course page.

Where to study colonial studies

SpainExchange lists two active schools for this subject, one in the United Kingdom and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Lancaster University, in north-west England, teaches the subject through its history degrees. Richmond Vale Academy, in Saint Vincent, is a registered non-profit that has received volunteers since 2007; its website describes programmes on climate change and community work and does not describe a course in colonial history, so ask the academy what it offers in this field.

Both schools teach in English. Students who want to work on the Spanish, Portuguese, French or Dutch empires need the relevant language to read the sources. That is a reason to combine the subject with a language or with a period abroad.

Careers

The subject trains research, analysis and writing more than it prepares for one profession. Lancaster University says its history graduates have gone into government, the armed forces, banking and finance, business and marketing, the creative industries, journalism, teaching, academia, and heritage and museums. Museums, archives and heritage bodies that review how they present colonial collections are a natural field for specialists. An academic career requires a doctorate. No official employment statistics exist for colonial studies as a separate subject.

Frequently asked questions

Is colonial studies a degree of its own?

Rarely. It is normally a specialisation within a history degree, or a master's with a related name such as postcolonial studies, imperial history or global history.

How long does it take?

The History BA Hons at Lancaster University takes three years full time. A master's such as the History MA at Lancaster or the MA Postcolonial Studies at SOAS takes one year full time.

What is the difference between colonial and postcolonial studies?

Colonial studies is mainly historical: it studies the empires and colonies themselves. Postcolonial studies looks at the consequences of colonial rule and at the societies after independence, often through literature, film and theory.

Which languages do I need?

Courses in the United Kingdom are taught in English. For research, the language of the empire and of the region studied matters: Spanish or Portuguese for Latin America, French for much of West Africa, for example.