In 2024, the year marking the 700th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s great explorers, Marco Polo, the University of Warwick is proud to partner with 36 global institutions to launch the Marco Polo International ProgrammeLink opens in a new window.

As part of the Marco Polo International Programme, Warwick academics, in conjunction with our European, Singaporean and Chinese partners, are involved in:

• the rediscovery, restoration and public display of 14th century records of Venetian travellers in India;
• the high-resolution scanning and interdisciplinary study of textiles, ceramics and lacquerware to aid our understanding of goods that travelled across the Silks Roads culminating in a series of virtual and physical exhibitions across the globe;
• the first-ever digitisation of the writings of the Islamic traveller Ibn Battuta as he explored around Africa and Asia;
• a deep dive into the worlds and cultures, which Marco Polo travelled through;
• the uncovering of the views of modern travellers to China during key moments of 20th century Chinese history;
• as well as a wider re-examination of what is at stake in travel writing – in the past and today.

Hosted by Professor Tim Lockley, this guest lecture by Lonely Planet co-founder and Warwick alumnus, Tony Wheeler, will be a guided tour through the history of travel writing, from guidebooks through to modern travel blogs, drawing on Tony's unique insight through his years at the helm of the Lonely Planet.

Wednesday 8 May, 15.00 – 16.00, FAB0.08 Faculty of Arts Building.

Followed by a drinks reception for Faculty, Staff, and History PhD students only hosted by Professor Rachel Moseley, Faculty of Arts Building Terrace, Fifth Floor (next to FAB5.03)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window at 16.00 - 17.00.

Register hereLink opens in a new window

The Natural Hazards and EmpireLink opens in a new window exhibition explores how natural hazards were studied and experienced under the conditions of empire, drawing on examples from the Royal Geographical Society's Collections. For many people, colonialism itself was a disaster. When combined with the shock of an earthquake, an avalanche, or volcanic eruption, the effects could be especially damaging and long-lasting. The exhibition was put together following an undergraduate workshop held at the Royal Geographical Society in collaboration with the University of Leeds and the University of Warwick. This was an exercise in participatory research.

What do undergraduates, studying geography at university today, make of the historical Collections held at the Royal Geographical Society? And what does ‘decolonisation’ mean for them as the geographers of the future? View the online exhibition hereLink opens in a new window.

Image credit: Photograph of the 1935 Quetta earthquake. Credit: C.P. Skrine / Royal Geographical Society.

The International conference 'Commodities and Environments in Early Modern Global Asia, 1400-1800' is organised under the auspices of the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant Project, CAPASIA ;The Asian Origins of Global Capitalism', hosted at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. The conference explores the relationship between environments and commodities in early modern Global Asia between 1400 and 1800. It investigates the environmental consequences in these regions of the extraction, production and the trade in commodities.

For further details, hereLink opens in a new window

The Global History and Culture Centre is delighted to announce the establishment of the Wheeler History of Travel Writing Programme, which will fund a total of 4 PhD studentships over five years (2023-28). The Wheeler History of Travel Writing Programme has been made possible through the generous donation of Warwick alumnus and co-founder of Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler. Up to two fully-funded studentships will be available for Autumn 2024 entry. The remaining studentships will be available from 2025 onwards. See full details hereLink opens in a new window.