Understanding how galaxies form and evolve remains of the biggest open questions in modern day astrophysics. Stars play a crucial role in deciphering galaxy formation as they retain information about the conditions of their host galaxies at the time of their birth. By resolving individual stars and studying their properties, we can uncover direct links to their host’s past history, performing what is known as “galactic archaeology”. The Magellanic Clouds (MCs), visible from Earth as “milky patches” in the sky, provide a unique window into how galaxies interact and evolve, offering valuable insights into the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model that governs the behaviour of our Universe. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), in particular, exhibits a highly disrupted morphology, encoding clues on its past interactions with the neighbouring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The goal of the present thesis is to probe galaxy evolution by producing a state-of-the-art picture of the complex evolutionary history of the SMC. First, I present a detailed star formation history (SFH) of a shell-like structure in the SMC’s northeastern outskirts. I provide direct evidence that this structure formed due to the complex interplay between the SMC, the LMC, and the Milky Way (MW) over the last ∼2 Gyrs. To derive the SFH, I develop a new method that uses Red Clump (RC) stars to quantify the

line-of-sight depth of the region, incorporating this depth into the SFH derivation. Theoretical tests with mock stellar populations confirm the method’s robustness, showing that accounting for the SMC’s line-of-sight depth results in more accurate age and metallicity determinations. Following this, I derive the SFH for the entire SMC and its peripheral region. The SMC has experienced star formation enhancements ∼2 Gyr, ∼1.3 Gyr, ∼0.9 Gyr, ∼0.5 Gyr, and ∼0.2 Gyr ago, as well as one ongoing episode, all linked to the interactions with the LMC. The radially integrated SFH reveals a positive age gradient across the SMC, and several plausible causes for it are evaluated. I derive a mean metallicity, [Fe/H] ∼ -0.94± 0.06 0.07 for the entire SMC from

photometric metallicity maps, which show subtle gradients towards the LMC. Finally, I present technical work towards a comprehensive exploration of the Magellanic periphery for ancient ultra-faint dwarf galaxies/clusters associated with the MCs. The results presented in this thesis demonstrate the influence of the LMC (and the MW) on the structure and evolution of the SMC, shedding new light on how the SMC arrived at its current, complex state.