Disasters and History: The Vulnerability and Resilience of Past Societies

Review

by Toneichia Graham
published on 02 December 2024

This is a remarkable book suitable for readers of all levels seeking an insightful exploration of the societal, economic, political, and cultural reactions to extraordinary events such as severe weather, epidemics, and earthquakes.

The collaborated book by Bas Van Bavel and others, Disasters and History; The Vulnerability and Resilience of Past Societies, offers a distinctive examination of various methodologies and discoveries in historical disaster research. It situates the study of disasters as a central component within our comprehensive understanding of history. Encompassing diverse regions across the globe, these disasters comprise a range of events such as extreme weather phenomena, epidemic diseases, and earthquakes, spanning a millennium of history. This resource is a valuable tool for students who are delving into the fields of economics, government, and sociology, as well as aspiring researchers who are embarking on their academic journey. The utilization of this tool has the potential to support various organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and numerous other national and international entities in improving their disaster response strategies.

The primary focus of this book's research revolves around medieval and early modern Europe. The authors explore a wide range of topics, starting from the impact of the Black Death in 1348 across Europe and the Middle East and extending to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that eventually led to the Fukushima disaster. This book imparts knowledge on the critical significance of situating hazards and disasters within their social, economic, political, and cultural contexts to achieve a comprehensive understanding. A noteworthy aspect lies in the varied approaches employed to investigate these disasters, which encompass considerations of their onset, whether rapid or gradual. The onset of a disaster also plays a crucial role in shaping the response, consequences, and overall outcomes of the event.

The seven authors are all established historians specialized in disaster history. For example, Bas Van Bavel is a professor of Economics and Social History at Utrecht University, and Daniel R. Curtis is an Associate Professor of History at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. This collaborative work emphasizes the analytical tools that history can offer to comprehend disasters while also taking an interdisciplinary approach to introduce fundamental technical concepts and explore various theories and current hypotheses.

The book's timing is opportune and highly relevant, given the contentious aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the onset of the COVID-19 outbreaks, and the recent earthquake in Japan in 2024. The historical research provided by this book will help us better navigate the aftermaths of existing disasters and prepare for those to come. It is crucial to extend the application of this book's approach beyond the examples explored and to expand the scope of comparative research to widen the perspective. As Bavel points out in his work, "societies frequently developed an obsession for a particular type of disaster." This phenomenon is evident in the extensive coverage of disasters by news media and social media platforms. In certain instances, these calamities even became central to a nation's sense of identity. The nature of this book's collaborative writing process makes it suitable for students or readers new to the field of disaster history who are looking for a digestible introductory reading. Overall, this was an incredibly fascinating piece of literature to engage with.

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