HST6746 – The Idea of 'the West': A History from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century

This module analyses the history of different ideas of ‘the West’ from its earliest uses in the eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century. This history will be studied from the perspective of both ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ thinkers and authors. Students will gain a deep and many-sided mastery of a concept with a long history, which is highly relevant to contemporary debates and ways of thinking, and yet is rarely defined or analysed historically. The main contribution of the module will be to problematise and historicise the concept of the West and show when it emerged, why, and how meanings have changed over the last two centuries. The module is ambitious in its analysis, its geographical and cultural coverage, and its aim to develop students’ historical perspectives and critical skills.