dr. (Daniel) DR Curtis

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 Cinemahttps://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

Associate professor | Department of History
Email
curtis@eshcc.eur.nl
Location
Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam

Work

  • Daniel Curtis (17 March 2020) - Hollywood pandemics

  • 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

News regarding dr. (Daniel) DR Curtis

Daniel R. Curtis elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

Daniel R. Curtis (history department) has recently been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (RHS) in the UK.
Logo of the Royal Historical Society, white letters on blue background.

New book out on infectious inequalities in cinema

Qijun Han and Daniel R. Curtis have recently published a new book entitled "Infectious Inequalities: Epidemics, Trust, and Social Vulnerabilities in Cinema".
Blue and green book cover

Dr. Daniel Curtis co-authors two journals about the visual depiction of women during epidemic scenarios in cinema

Dr. Daniel Curtis co-authors two journals about the visual depiction of women during epidemic scenarios in cinema.

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