Black Death

This thesis poses a singular but challenging question for comparative history. Why did two pre-industrial economies, faced with the same level of depopulation from the Black Death, respond so differently to the same external shock? While England recovered, Egypt collapsed. Focus…

The study of public health can provide insight into the complexities of sociopolitical

The Black Death of 1347-1351 in Europe wiped out nearly 60% of Europe’s entire population, killing men, women and children, young and old alike. It brought with it a wave of changes impacting everyday life and tradition, artistic expression, religious devotion and medical practi…

Arabic historical narratives from fifteenth century Egypt allow a holistic exploration of the parallels and dichotomies inherent in debates regarding plague epidemics and etiology, classical Islamic medicine, and the fluid and yet precarious societal position of the ulama as his…