Biography
I have a project funded by the NWO VIDI (800,000 euro), which goes by the title "Positively Shocking! The Redistributive Impact of Mass Mortality through Epidemic Diseases and Violent Conflict in Early Modern Northwest Europe".
Recent literature has suggested that throughout history hazards such as violent conflict and epidemic disease outbreaks were two of the major avenues through which societies became more equitable – a so-called “levelling effect”. Empirical evidence for this phenomenon, however, remains patchy at best – especially as we move into the deeper past. In my project, we do three things.
First, we provide more systematic empirical evidence for the redistributive impact of epidemics and conflicts – with tighter spatial and temporal refinement of our approach allowing us to differentiate between temporary and structural changes.
Second, we explain the direction of distribution – egalitarian or inequitable – by zooming in on the institutional framework in which redistribution takes place. What is the effect of commodity markets, factor markets, property rights, collective associations, inheritance practices, and so on?
Third, we reflect on the “meaning” of any redistribution seen. To what extent does a change in a Gini coefficient, for example, mean anything for the societal actors involved in terms of their economic and social position and composition of wealth? In the process, we reflect on the terms on which wealth and property was owned or accessed, the different ways in which wealth portfolios could be composed, and the prevalence of intersectional or obscured inequalities.
I have a side-project on the visual representation of epidemics – particularly in cinematic history – and has led to a new open access book co-authored with Qijun Han entitled “Infectious Inequalities: Epidemics, Trust, and Social Vulnerabilities in Cinema” https://library.oapen.org/viewer/web/viewer.html?file=/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/52017/9781000540765.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
I am happy to hear from any prospective students (BA/MA/PhD) interested in the broad domain of environmental hazards, famines and diseases in the past, and their implications for social and economic development over the long term.
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
- curtis@eshcc.eur.nl
- Location
- Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam
More information
Work
- Daniel Curtis (2023) - Claire Weeda, Robert Stein, and Louis Sicking (eds), Communities, Environment and Regulation in the Premodern World: Essays in Honour of Peter Hoppenbrouwers (Turnhout: Brepols; Comparative Rural History Network vol 20, 2022) - Agricultural History Review, 71 (1), 130-131 - [link]
- Daniel Curtis (2023) - The Erasmian Way?: Integrating Historical Analysis with Contemporary Challenges - Erasmus Student Journal of History Studies (History Collective), 1 (1), 79-84 - [link]
- Daniel Curtis (2022) - Reduction in grain pollen indicates population decline, but not necessarily Black Death mortality - Nature Ecology and Evolution, 6 (11), 1-2 - doi: 10.1038/s41559-022-01862-4
- Qijun Han & DR (Daniel) Curtis (2022) - Infectious Inequalities; Epidemics, Trust, and Social Vulnerabilities in Cinema - [link]
- Qijun Han & Daniel Curtis (2021) - Cinematic Representation of Early Modern Women and Epidemics - Early Modern Women, 16 (1), 123-134 - doi: 10.1086/715752 - [link]
- Qijun Han & Daniel R. Curtis (2021) - The Female Burden Visualized:: Cinematic Representation of Women during Epidemics - Journal of Popular Culture, 54 (5), 1116-1142 - doi: 10.1111/jpcu.13070 - [link]
- Bram van Besouw & Daniel R. Curtis (2021) - Estimating warfare-related civilian mortality in the early modern period: Evidence from the Low Countries, 1620–99 - Explorations in Economic History, 84, 1-21 - doi: 10.1016/j.eeh.2021.101425 - [link]
- Bram van Besouw & Daniel Curtis (2021) - Replication files for 'Estimating warfare-related civilian mortality in the early modern period: Evidence from the Low Countries, 1620–99’ - [link]
- Daniel Curtis (2021) - Early Modern Pandemics, Quantitative Research and Inequality with Daniel Curtis - [link]
- Q Han & Daniel Curtis (2021) - Suspicious minds: cinematic depiction of distrust during epidemic disease outbreaks - BMJ Medical Humanities, 47 (2), 248-256 - doi: 10.1136/medhum-2020-011871 - [link]
- Daniel Curtis & Bram van Besouw (2023) - Economic History Society Annual Conference 2023
- Vidhi Chaudhri, Daniel Curtis & Mariangela Lavanga (2023) - ESHCC Societal Engagement Award 2023 (Event)
- Daniel Curtis (2023) - History, Health and Healing: Spring Meeting 2023
- Daniel Curtis (2023) - Department of History (Organisational unit)
- Daniel Curtis (2022) - Contemporary Global Issues Roundtable: Inequality
- Daniel Curtis (2022) - Department of History (Organisational unit)
- Daniel Curtis (2022) - Redistribution and access to land in response to epidemics. A longterm perspective from a seventeenth-century rural community
- Daniel Curtis & Bram van Besouw (2022) - Home ownership, epidemic mortality, and wealth distribution in early modern Leiden, 1630-70
- Daniel Curtis (2021) - Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (External organisation)
- Daniel Curtis (2021) - From One Mortality Regime to Another? Mortality Crises in Late Medieval Haarlem, Holland, in Perspective
- Daniel Curtis (2022) - Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2020) - Scientific and Technological Achievement Award (STAA)
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2019) - Open Access Book Grant
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2018) - NWO VIDI
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2018) - Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index, Article of the Month
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2015) - NWO VENI
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2014) - Scouloudi Historical Research Award
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2013) - British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences / Leverhulme Trust, Small Research Grant
- DR (Daniel) Curtis (2009) - Cambridge Members’ History Prize (2nd)
Master Thesis
- Year Level
- MA, MA
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- CH4050
Disasters and History
- Level
- BA-3
- Year Level
- BA-3
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- CH3087
Epidemic Disease, Famine and Development
- Year Level
- BA-2, BA-2
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- CH2222
Capitalism and Inequality
- Year Level
- BA-2, BA-2
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- CH2204
Bachelor Thesis
- Year Level
- BA-3, BA-3, Pre-master
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- CH3100