By Mart A. Stewart (NHC Fellow, 2002–03) “"What Nature Suffers to Groe" explores the mutually transforming relationship between environment and human culture on the Georgia coastal plain between 1680 and 1920. Each of the successive communities on the coast-the philanthropic and imperialistic experiment of the Georgia Trustees, the plantation culture of rice and sea island cotton … Continued
By Bozhong Li (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) For centuries the Yangzi delta has acted as the locomotive of China's economic growth. This book examines the surprising phenomenon of a long period of economic growth from 1620 to 1850 in the traditional agriculture of this extremely densely populated area, when no new land was available and no … Continued
By Judith M. Bennett (NHC Fellow, 1993–94) Women brewed and sold most of the ale consumed in medieval England, but after 1350, men slowly took over the trade. By 1600, most brewers in London were male, and men also dominated the trade in many towns and villages. This book asks how, when, and why brewing … Continued
By Stephanie J. Shaw (NHC Fellow, 1995–96) Stephanie J. Shaw takes us into the inner world of American black professional women during the Jim Crow era. This is a story of struggle and empowerment, of the strength of a group of women who worked against daunting odds to improve the world for themselves and their … Continued
Slave labor differed according to period and location. In the 1700s plantation owners tried to maintain self-sufficiency based on the varied skills of their slaves. A slave’s skill level and value to the master often determined how he/she was treated. Lock-step, highly supervised gang labor, replaced traditional patterns of individual work. Race may have influenced … Continued
Despite a roaring market, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects there will be fewer jobs for the bottom 40 percent of workers in the lowest paying jobs by 2029. The top quintile? Boom times. Over half of Americans are now living in what for them is essentially a Great Depression. This kind of economic … Continued
Visiting a sugar mill on the coast of Barbados, I wondered how far humans are willing to go for the everyday resources I take for granted. What are we willing to do to the environment or other human beings for sugar, salt, and electricity? In this image, you see the only wind-powered sugar mill still … Continued