Doctoral Dissertation Research: Three Case Studies of Natural Disasters

University Of Kansas Center For Research Inc, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Abstract

Overview This STS Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant supports archival research to investigate a series of natural disasters that occurred in the Netherlands; one the deadliest floods in European history (the Christmas Flood), rinderpest epidemics that destabilized agriculture, and the arrival of invasive mollusks that jeopardized the entire Dutch coastal defense system. Historical studies thus far consist of case studies highlighting the local and immediate economic effects of individual events. These studies posit no relational connections to these events and offer limited evaluations of their role in the development of Dutch hydro-engineering and medicine. As a result, the impact of these events remains largely provincial and under appreciated. This study will show that these disasters had profound economic, cultural, and environmental implications. The award will support two archival research trips to the Netherlands for collection and analysis of documents pertaining to the historical and spatial dimensions of the proposal plus funding for conference travel to disseminate the results. Intellectual Merit The proposed project contends that these events constituted a unique disaster period in Dutch history with significant implications for Dutch society, culture, and environment. It conceives of these seemingly singular disasters as a synergistically connected and ultimately affecting Dutch adaptation resulting in a massive redesign of Dutch water defense and new methods of combating disease. This study is grounded in the methods of historical disaster studies, climate change research, and European historical geography; the researcher has training in environmental history and experience teaching global environmental studies. The final product will argue that these disasters prompted a reordering of the Dutch physical environment, the cultural rationale for understanding risk and calamity, and the place of science and technology in Dutch society. Broader Impacts By tackling issues like the cultural construction of risk and the socio-historical elements of innovation in engineering, the project may have broader significance in risk and hazard research and the history of science and technology; it may provide information relevant to discussions of current natural disasters. In addition, the project will provide opportunities for international education and show the value of cross-cultural understanding, perhaps culminating in a partnership between Dutch and American scholars. The socio-cultural experience of climate change is globally variable which could lead to interesting and provocative discussions between students in the two countries. Whereas flooding, invasive species, and disease are common to both areas, they have very different impacts on culture and engender different responses. Bridging this gap in environmental awareness is one goal of this proposal.