Risk and Uncertainty

How did ordinary people understand and cope with risk in times of personal crisis and in everyday life? This series brings historical perspectives to our own experiences of navigating an increasingly uncertain world.

Pensions, Friends and Fraternities

Maya Adereth 1 August 202229 October 2022

Why did the British labour movement come to advocate state insurance at the turn of the 20th century? Maya Adereth examines transformations in worker benefit schemes through the lens of Friendly Societies.

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Scarcity and Risk in the Tropics

Julia McClure 27 July 202213 January 2023

What is the difference between poverty and scarcity? Julia McClure explores how different communities and societies mitigated the risks of resource scarcity before capitalism created poverty.

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Struggling for Freedom in Colonial Mexico

Amos Megged 25 July 202229 October 2022

How did enslaved women calculate risks when petitioning for their freedom in colonial Mexico? Amos Megged explores the complex life story of María de la Candelaria, arguing that enslaved women sought restitution of their rights, and…

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Death and Uncertainty in the Early Modern Community

Imogen Knox 18 July 202229 October 2022

What did seventeenth century communities do when one of their number reported experiencing suicidal thoughts? Imogen Knox discusses the ways in which early modern people sought to help and care for their family members and neighbours in…

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Runaway Wives in Medieval London

Charlotte Berry 13 July 202229 October 2022

How did women escape domestic abuse in late medieval London? Charlotte Berry explores how women navigated the social and economic barriers to leaving a violent marriage to find a safe place to live in a medieval city.

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Precarious Courtships in Old Regime France

Julie Hardwick 4 July 20225 November 2022

How did young couples negotiate sexual activity and its reproductive consequences in Old Regime France? Julie Hardwick discusses the real and perceived risks and uncertainties of courtship, arguing that communities ultimately sought to…

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Freedom Seekers in Restoration London

Simon Newman 29 June 202213 January 2023

Newspaper advertisements for enslaved boys who escaped into early modern London reveal very little about the freedom seekers, and rather more about those who enslaved them. But what can we learn of Cuffee, who risked everything to escape in…

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