The Working Group for Pre-Modern Histories and Cultures (WG) was founded by members of the History Department at Florida International University during the Fall Semester, 1999. The WG provides a framework for encounters, dialogues, and conversations among scholars and students who have interests in the pre-modern histories of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

The WG also seeks to stimulate increased scholarly examination of the global interactions of peoples and cultures before the middle of the seventeenth century, as well as to encourage the consideration of what kinds of insights might be gained from the comparative study of pre-modern cultural regions even in the absence of the physical interactions of their inhabitants. The WG quickly expanded to include scholars trained in disciplines other than History and, since 2000, has offered a Certificate in Pre-Modern Cultures. The WG has also produced numerous events aimed both at scholarly and community audiences (click here to explore our Archive). Felice Lifshitz served as the Coordinator of the WG, and the Director of the Certificate Program, from their inception through the Spring Semester, 2006. The current Coordinator/Director is Gwyn Davies (daviesg@fiu.edu).

Click here for the Past events