Dr Irene Bavuso
Associate Professor of Medieval British and European History
Magdalen College
I am a historian of early medieval north-western Europe, focusing in particular on socio-economic transformations between the fifth and the ninth centuries. Before joining Oxford, I was Assistant Professor in Medieval History at Utrecht University (2022-2026), and held research and teaching positions at the Institute of Historical Research in London, the Université libre de Bruxelles, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and Aarhus University.
Research Interests
I look at how economy, society and power were trasformed between the fifth and the ninth centuries in north-western Europe, particularly in Britain and Francia. In my research, I usually combine written sources and archaeological remains.
- Early medieval socio-economic transformations
- Long-distance networks
- Production and artisans
- Comparative and interdisciplinary approches
What happened to long-distance networks (of trade, exchange, and communication) in early post-Roman Europe represents one of my main lines of research. My monograph, Before the Emporia: Trade and Communities across the Channel, c. 500–650 (OUP forthcoming), reconstructs the sixth/early seventh-century cross-Channel network in England and Francia, and reassesses the role of trade for socio-economic differentiation before the eighth-century economic boom.
Next to networks, my current research centres on how control and exploitation of basic natural resources shaped social differentiation and the rise of new polities, between c. 400–900. Further themes on which I have published are relationships between England and Francia in the sixth century, artisans’ mobility and technical knowledge, and early medieval economic circularity.
Publications
DPhil Students
I would be happy to hear from DPhil and Masters applicants who would like to do research on any topics related to society, economy and power in early medieval western Europe, including comparative perspectives and approaches that combine written sources and material culture.