Graduate scholar Niklas Groschinski

Niklas Groschinski is in the third year of his DPhil in History, researching the social and political history of landscape formation in the early modern period.

"My previous studies in Vancouver and London were mostly in art and intellectual history. I was intrigued by the early modern relationship between art and nature and wanted to explore how different groups of people historically perceived the natural world. I wished to see beyond a narrative focused on the intellectual and cultural elite, and inquire into how ordinary people, including artisans and peasants, related to their environs. I have engaged in archival work in Nuremberg (my case study), which has allowed me to reconstruct practical concerns around changing and maintaining both the urban and natural environment of the city. I have therefore moved from looking at representations of nature to understanding the social and political history of landscape formation in the early modern period.

"During my DPhil, I have had the pleasure of attending conferences and workshops in Florence, Brussels, Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, and Oxford, all of which have been stimulating and immensely useful for networking. For instance, I befriended two fellow presenters at a workshop in Nuremberg, who then invited me to speak at their own conference in Brussels. The proceedings of the conference have been accepted by a leading publisher for publication in 2026. I have also initiated a new seminar series in Oxford on ‘Early Modern Art and Visual Culture’ together with a JRF at Christ Church.

"In terms of teaching experience, I completed teaching training on the paper 'The German Peasants’ War of 1524/5' and was then able to lead several tutorials with visiting students for the paper 'Art and Nature in the Renaissance'. Currently, I am a Krasis Junior Teaching Fellow at the Ashmolean, where I organise, deliver, and moderate two three-hour symposia, working directly (often physically) with the museum’s collections. Discussing with students has been one of the most fun and enriching experiences of my degree.

"I have made some wonderful friends at Oxford, most of whom are also early modernists and we meet up at least once a week, which has kept me afloat during the more stressful times. I also like to visit museums, do gardening, explore the UK, and try out new food/coffee places, alongside keeping fit.

"I would not be in Oxford if it wasn’t for the generous scholarship. It is a huge privilege to be able to focus on my research and do other productive academic things. I still have to pinch and remind myself sometimes that I get to live in one of the most beautiful towns, study at perhaps the best university in the world, and work with a supervisor who is both genius and incredibly kind."

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