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The quantification of famine in the British Empire, 1770-1801
Dr Lidwell-Durnin will be discussing his forthcoming book, Explaining Famine in the British Empire. The book retraces efforts to observe and measure the famines and food shortages that struck India and Britain at the close of the eighteenth century, and it explores how these crises and episodes of scarcity gave rise to scientific efforts to explain and quantify ‘famine.’ Focusing on the time period between the Bengal famine of 1770 and the food shortages in Britain in 1800, it explores the development of the concepts of ‘artificial scarcity’ (and ‘artificial famine’), and how statistical science and philosophy played a role in the naturalization of famine. The talk will focus in particular on the formation of Britain’s Board of Agriculture and its efforts to expand its own influence within Bengal and Madras.
Dr John Lidwell-Durnin is a lecturer in the History of Science specializing in the intersection of agricultural science and environmental history. His research delves into how scientific practices have shaped societies’ responses to challenges like food security and ecological change. With a diverse array of publications spanning leading historical journals (_The Historical Journal, British Journal for the History of Science) and scientific outlets (Global Food Security), his work bridges disciplinary divides. He is currently working to develop the History of Entomology, and his most recent publications have been working to strengthen our understanding of how entomological science has both contributed and responded to the environmental costs of agriculture and meeting the subsistence needs of the planet.
Date:
9 March 2026, 16:00
Venue:
Radcliffe Observatory
Venue Details:
Room 00.063 (ground floor), Schwarzman Centre
Speaker:
John Lidwell-Durnin (Exeter)
Organising department:
Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology
Part of:
Oxford Centre for the History of Science Medicine & Technology (OCHSMT) Seminars and Events
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Belinda Clark
