Agenda
Research Workshop ‘Mortality, Morbidity, and Medicine: Historical Health and Demography across the Atlantic’ – deadline 30 April 2026
On 8 June 2026, preceding the PhD Defence by Posthumus alumnus Dinos Sevdalakis, Dinos will organise the Research Workshop ‘Research Workshop ‘Mortality, Morbidity, and Medicine: Historical Health and Demography across the Atlantic’ at the Academy Building of the University of Groningen. This workshop is supported by the Research Network ‘Life-Courses, Family, and Labour’ of the N.W. Posthumus Institute and the COST Action Greatleap Network.
Content
The historical roots of today’s health outcomes remain poorly understood, yet tracing them is essential to make sense of the world we inhabit. This workshop brings together scholars at the intersection of historical demography and the history of health to examine how mortality, morbidity, and medicine have evolved across Europe, Africa, and the Americas in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By tracing these historical trajectories, the workshop aims to deepen our understanding of how the past continues to define health and healthcare in the present.
Programme
| 09:30-10:00 | Opening and introduction |
| 10:00-11:30 | Session 1: Morbidity and mortality, and medicine in historical Europe |
| Mayra Murkens (University of Groningen) – Syphilis morbidity and institutionalisation in the Amsterdam hospital 1856-1896 | |
| Adrien Remund (Population Research Centre, University of Groningen) – Historical young adult excess mortality in North American and European countries | |
| Alice Reid (University of Cambridge) – Medical attention at death in nineteenth century rural Scotland | |
| 11:45-13:00 | Lunch (Eeterie De Globe, Akerkhof 22, Groningen); only for participants who have registered by 30 April |
| 13:15-14:45 | Session 2: Health(care) and mortality across Africa and South America |
| Hilde Bras (University of Groningen) – New African health histories: (E)merging lines | |
| Björn Quanjer (Radboud University) – The mortality transition in Suriname: Analysing cause-specific mortality, 1903–1949 | |
| 3rd speaker (tba) – tba |
Participation
Participation is free of charge, but prior registration is requested. If you want to join the lunch, make sure to register ultimately by 30 April 2026.
