How did the decline of empire reshape environments in the Netherlands and Suriname? Lalor’s dissertation traces how post-WWII agricultural intensification in both countries depended on nutrients and space extracted from the sea — feeding livestock with whale, fish, and shrimp meal, and reclaiming coastal land for mechanized farming. She calls this regime the imperial littoral, where new land became a site of environmental and social experimentation. Drawing on stories of engineers, laborers, and animals, join Lalor as she explores how empire was rebuilt through landscapes, making the transformation of sea into land — and fish into cows — both material and deeply strange.
The Graduate Student Research Workshop is a seminar for graduate students at Harvard University and MIT to present their research to peers and faculty with an interest in European studies. This student-run, student-centered workshop welcomes presenters from any social science discipline who are at any stage of their research.
To join the seminar mailing list, please contact the seminar chairs. Papers will be distributed to participants via email in advance. For a schedule of upcoming workshops see here. This schedule will be updated throughout the academic year.
