Early Modern Exchanges (EME)

The Centre is dedicated to the study of the diverse cultural, economic and social exchanges between early modern states in the Old World and beyond in the period 1450-1800. Our work focuses on how complex intercultural interactions from translation to trade began to create borders and frontiers between countries, vernacular literatures and identities in this period.

The centre has affiliated staff and students from across UCL. If you would like to be involved please email l ucy.stagg@ucl.ac.uk.

The UCL Institute of Advanced Studies will close its doors on 31 July 2026. However, the Centre for Early Modern Exchanges will continue to operate.

Picture of monkey by Durer, early modern academics

People

The Maas at Dordrecht by Aelbert Cuyp, early modern events

News and Events

Great Assembly by Bartel van Bassen, study early modern

Early Modern Studies

Research

The Centre was founded in 2010. It hosts an MA in Early Modern Studies, and runs a lively research seminar series. We work closely with the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters (CELL), a collaborative research laboratory exploring pioneering digital solutions to archival questions. Both research centres are members of UCL's Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS).

We are also grouped with several other research centres under the auspices of the Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) at the UCL School of European Languages, Culture & Society (SELCS).