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Global History Lab (GHL) is a digital history education programme founded by historian Jeremy Adelman in 2012. Originally based at Princeton University, it is currently housed at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge. The Lab offers blended and online courses in global history, with a particular focus on expanding access to displaced and underserved learners through partnerships with universities, NGOs, and refugee learning centres.

The Global History Lab was launched at Princeton University with the goal of developing a more inclusive approach to teaching global history. It initially used the online platform NovoEd to deliver open-access courses based on Adelman’s “A History of the World Since 1300.” In 2020, the programme received funding from the Open Society University Network (OSUN) to expand its reach through a multi-institutional network.

In 2023, Adelman moved to the University of Cambridge, and the Lab was relocated to CRASSH, where it continues to coordinate partnerships across regions including East Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central Europe.

GHL combines asynchronous digital instruction with locally facilitated discussions and project-based learning. Its core sequence includes two foundational courses: *History of the World* and *Qualitative Research Methods*, the latter of which introduces students to oral history and ethnographic techniques. These courses are delivered through institutional and NGO partnerships, including in refugee camps and crisis-affected areas.

In addition to its Cambridge base, GHL works with partner institutions such as Brac University (Bangladesh), the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), ADA University (Azerbaijan), and Bard College (USA), along with local NGOs and community hubs.

The Narrative Observatories programme is an extension of the GHL’s core curriculum, typically following completion of *Qualitative Research Methods*. Participants collaboratively design and conduct narrative-based research projects that explore identity, exclusion, memory, and social change in their own communities. The programme has been piloted in contexts including Uganda, Kenya, and Jordan, and emphasizes co-authored knowledge production and participatory storytelling.

The Narrative Observatories use a structured methodology based on “narrative variables,” which guide participants in analyzing stories through dimensions such as actor, temporality, and emotionality. Fieldwork preparation, ethical considerations, and the analysis of lived experience are key components of the curriculum.

In a peer-reviewed study published in the *International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning*, researchers Schenck, Mutisya, and Abu Amsha analysed GHL’s implementation in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (Kenya) and Azraq Camp (Jordan). They noted both the promise and limitations of blended learning in camp settings, particularly in terms of digital access, language, and learner autonomy. The authors found that the programme enabled participants to produce grounded, community-based historical narratives that contributed to more inclusive academic discourse.^[1]

The Refugee History project described GHL’s *Qualitative Research Methods* course as a means of “bridging the camp and the campus,” drawing attention to how refugee learners are positioned not only as students but also as knowledge producers.^[2]

GHL has partnered with several initiatives linked to refugee and crisis education. These include:

• The Refugee Higher Education Access Program (RhEAP), a preparatory curriculum run by Bard College, Arizona State University, and OSUN.
• The OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning, active in Kenya and Jordan, which support in-camp learning through local facilitators and global faculty.^[3]
• The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), which has worked with GHL in the Kiryandongo Settlement in Uganda.^[4]

• History education
• Refugee education
• Open Society University Network
• Jeremy Adelman

• Global History Lab at CRASSH
• History Dialogues Project
• Princeton Global History Lab overview

Global History Lab (GHL) is a digital history education programme founded by historian Jeremy Adelman in 2012. Originally based at Princeton University, it is currently housed at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge. The Lab offers blended and online courses in global history, with a particular focus on expanding access to displaced and underserved learners through partnerships with universities, NGOs, and refugee learning centres.

The Global History Lab was launched at Princeton University with the goal of developing a more inclusive approach to teaching global history. It initially used the online platform NovoEd to deliver open-access courses based on Adelman’s “A History of the World Since 1300.” In 2020, the programme received funding from the Open Society University Network (OSUN) to expand its reach through a multi-institutional network.

In 2023, Adelman moved to the University of Cambridge, and the Lab was relocated to CRASSH, where it continues to coordinate partnerships across regions including East Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central Europe.

GHL combines asynchronous digital instruction with locally facilitated discussions and project-based learning. Its flagship courses include *History of the World* and the *History Dialogues Project*, the latter of which teaches oral history methods and supports student-led research projects. Participants in GHL courses have included students from universities as well as learners based in refugee camps and conflict-affected areas.

In addition to its Cambridge base, GHL works with partner institutions such as Brac University (Bangladesh), the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), ADA University (Azerbaijan), and Bard College (USA), along with local NGOs and community hubs.

In a peer-reviewed study published in the *International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning*, researchers Schenck, Mutisya, and Abu Amsha analysed GHL’s implementation in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (Kenya) and Azraq Camp (Jordan). They highlighted the programme’s efforts to offer “academic space” to displaced learners, noting both the opportunities and logistical challenges of delivering higher education in camp settings. The authors emphasized that GHL's emphasis on student-led oral history projects enabled learners to engage with their own historical narratives in ways that were both academically rigorous and contextually grounded.^[1]

The Refugee History project described GHL's *History Dialogues* course as a means of “bridging the camp and the campus,” drawing attention to how refugee learners are positioned not only as students but also as knowledge producers.^[2]

GHL has partnered with several initiatives linked to refugee and crisis education. These include:

• The Refugee Higher Education Access Program (RhEAP), a preparatory curriculum run by Bard College, Arizona State University, and OSUN.
• The OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning, active in Kenya and Jordan, which support in-camp learning through local facilitators and global faculty.^[3]
• The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), which has worked with GHL in the Kiryandongo Settlement in Uganda.^[4]

• History education
• Refugee education
• Open Society University Network
• Jeremy Adelman

• Global History Lab at CRASSH
• History Dialogues Project
• Princeton Global History Lab overview