Disasters and History offers the first comprehensive historical overview of hazards and disasters. Drawing on a range of case studies, including the Black Death, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Fukushima disaster, the authors examine how societies dealt with shocks and hazards and their potentially disastrous outcomes. They reveal the ways in which the consequences and outcomes of these disasters varied widely not only between societies but also within the same societies according to social groups, ethnicity and gender. They also demonstrate how studying past disasters, including earthquakes, droughts, floods and epidemics, can provide a lens through which to understand the social, economic and political functioning of past societies and reveal features of a society which may otherwise remain hidden from view. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘Disasters and History is a unique expert review of approaches and findings of historical disaster research — the first of its kind. This path-breaking achievement will set the standards for a long time to come. What is more, it places the study of disasters right in the centre of our general understanding of history.'

Franz Mauelshagen - co-editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Climate History

‘This wide-ranging and ambitious book offers a new conceptual framework for understanding when and how natural hazards—in the form of extreme weather events, epidemics, or geological shocks—can be prevented from turning into disasters. A very timely book for these uncertain times.'

Cormac Ó Gráda - author of Eating People is Wrong: Essays on the History and Future of Famines

‘Disasters and History is a deeply researched volume by the foremost scholars from the field of disaster history. This book adds historical depth and breadth not only to the wider field of disaster studies, but also to our understanding the current predicament of the Anthropocene and a crisis such as the Corona-Pandemic.'

Eleonora Rohland - author of Changes in the Air: Hurricanes in New Orleans from 1718 to the Present

‘A clear message that early modern Europeans prepared for disasters. This message is linked to present-day resilience studies and flanked by observations on historical disaster responses beyond Europe. Historical studies engaging contemporary concerns offers potential inspiration for facing the future.'

R. Bin Wong - author (with Jean-Laurent Rosenthal) of Before and Beyond Divergence: The Politics of Economic Change in China and Europe

‘Disasters and History makes a timely contribution to disaster scholarship and reaffirms the important contribution that history can, and should, make in future research and disaster management.’

Margaret Cook Source: H-Soz-Kult

‘The relevance of Disasters and History to every conceivable disaster, whether past, present, or future, makes it an invaluable resource for interdisciplinary scholars of climate and environment.’

Rolf Bauer Source: The Journal of Interdisciplinary History

‘… it is important that this book be made available to anyone who might benefit from its insights. And, indeed, it does provide insights that can be beneficial to the puzzled policymaker who is tasked with reducing disaster risk, improving disaster risk management or the post-disaster emergency phase, or with designing policies for long-term community recovery.'

Ilan Noy Source: EH.Net

‘… a concise, deliberately brief, but nevertheless extremely important study on the current debate about natural and manmade crises and catastrophes from a decidedly historical perspective primarily of the vulnerability of societies in the past, but also their efforts to take resilience into account. In this sense and because of their successful combination it also makes a significant - and very stimulating! - contribution to the collection of scientific and historical data and a methodologically sound and meaningful historical resilience research. (in German)’

Markus A. Denzel Source: Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte