The 37th Public Lecture of the Irish Environmental History Network will be presented by Dr James H. Barrett of University of Cambridge, and will take place at 6pm, Wednesday 14th March 2018, in the Trinity Research in Social Science (TRiSS) seminar room, 6th floor Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin.

This lecture will be entitled "An environmental (pre)history of the medieval cod trade".

Abstract: This lecture explores the ebb and flow of the medieval trade in dried cod (stockfish), through time and space, particularly in the centuries prior to the first systematic customs records (introduced in the 14th century). When did the trade begin? Who were the earliest producers and consumers? What caused it? When did it expand around the North and Baltic Seas? What were the implications for medieval socio-economic development, and for post-medieval expansion in the North Atlantic? Moreover, does the chronology of the trade shed light on human impacts on aquatic ecosystems - freshwater or marine? The evidence of zooarchaeology, stable isotope analysis and ancient DNA is combined to chart an environmental (pre)history of cod consumption and trade in northern European waters.

About Dr Barrett: "I study ecological globalisation. My background is in medieval and environmental archaeology, with special interests in the trade of fish, furs and ivory. I am particularly drawn to the complex links between rural producers of the north and (often distant) urban consumers. Thus I am also fascinated by the construction of local (including island) identities and by the causes and consequences of commercialisation (social, economic and ecological). In current jargon I am equally interested in Globalisation and Glocalisation. My work within medieval archaeology also attempts to balance both archaeology’s power as an evidence-based discipline that can challenge primordial misconceptions of the past (that can lead to intolerance) and its value, as a heritage-based subject, to empower the self-determination of communities and peoples."