In the nearly half century since the EUI History Department was established, the contours of European history have shifted away from nation-based or comparative approaches. The department now defines itself a center for the study of transnational, global and comparative history. All of these approaches are implicitly about creating a new history of Europe, but how are they accomplishing this goal? What is the outlook for the future of this project? This summer school is devoted to asking, “What is European History in the 21st Century?” As historians call for the decolonization of history, and, simultaneously, face the historical distortions encouraged by resurgent populist nationalisms, reflection on the possibilities and problems of European history have never seemed more urgent.