Historians at the University of Virginia working in transnational and diplomatic history examine subjects that cross borders and transcend a purely national historical context. For example, some of us study imperialism and colonization, economic and financial arrangements among states and non-state actors, diplomacy and statecraft, comparative ideologies, human rights, the cultural dimensions of international relations, war and its impact upon society, migration and refugees, genocide, epidemics and public health, cross-border movements of ideas, goods, and people, and the place of non-governmental organizations in the modern world.

Our Ph.D. students in these fields normally develop competence in at least three historiographical areas, such as modern U.S., Latin American, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and European history.  Their work is supplemented by readings in such international fields as the Cold War, war and society in the 20th century, human rights in the modern age, capitalism, comparative empires, the United States in the world, and globalization in history. The possibilities for combining national and international fields are almost limitless.

The study of transnational and diplomatic history at the University of Virginia is conducted in coordination with such active research centers as the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation, the Miller Center (which offers pre-doctoral fellowships for the study of modern politics and foreign affairs), the Center for Global Health, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, the Center for South Asian Studies, the East Asia Center, the Middle East Studies Program, and the German Studies Center, among others.