Welcome to the homepage of Peter H. Hansen, Professor of History and Director of International and Global Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
He is director of International and Global Studies which brings together faculty from the arts and sciences, business, and interdisciplinary studies to enrich students' experience of global projects on campus and around the world. He enjoys teaching courses in history or international and global studies and working with student project teams around the world. He is director of the WPI Copenhagen Project Center and has advised projects at Bangkok, Copenhagen, London, Lyon, Morocco, Namibia, Venice, Washington DC, and Worcester.
Hansen's research investigates the intertwined histories of mountaineering and modernity. The Summits of Modern Man (Harvard University Press, 2013) examined the transformation of the summit position into a symbol of individual sovereignty and enlightenment. He is co-editor of Other Everests: One Mountain, Many Worlds (Manchester University Press, 2024), which brings together new voices and perspectives on the historical and cultural significance of Everest in the modern world. Hansen has also published on colonialism, cross-cultural encounters, documentary films, and WPI's project program. He is writing a book on Mount Everest.
Hansen has been a visiting fellow at the Durham University, Cambridge University, the Australian National University, and Harvard University, and was a Fulbright Scholar to France. He is a past president of the Northeast Conference on British Studies, and current President of the Worcester World Affairs Council. His research has reached wider audiences as a lecturer at public libraries and museums and as commentator for television programs on the BBC, History Channel, and Discovery Channel.
For further information, see also:
- Professional background and research. A recent curriculum vitae.
- International and Global Studies. The major and minor at WPI.
- Teaching at WPI, including courses and student projects.
- Professional page at WPI maintained by Humanities and Arts and International and Global Studies.
I may be reached at phansen@wpi.edu, or at this address:
Department of Humanities and Arts
WPI
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609-2280 USATel: +1 (508) 831-5481
Fax: +1 (508) 831-5932
phansen@wpi.edu