MA in History - Colonialism and Imperialism in Salt Lake City United States | University of Utah

The Department excels in studying imperialism and colonialism, with a focus on European empires, while highlighting gender studies, environmental history, religion, slavery, the history of science and medicine, and Indigenous histories (including native communities in Mexico and South America). From the European Middle Ages to the modern post-colonial period, European expansion established and reinforced colonial systems worldwide. Colonial powers aimed to reshape societies by altering how people perceived themselves, their families, territories, scientific knowledge, and even their destinies. The far-reaching and subtle effects of colonialism—through its technologies and violence—left deep imprints on both minds and bodies, transformed landscapes, and manifested in everything from governance to everyday objects. However, colonial rule also sparked resistance. Confronting often rigid colonial hierarchies, individuals across the Americas, Africa, and Asia fought to maintain autonomy over their lives. Their struggles ensured that as Western concepts of gender, race, science, technology, and the environment spread globally, they were also reinterpreted and reshaped.