Alfred W. Crosby | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1931-01-15)15 January 1931 |
| Died | 14 March 2018(2018-03-14) (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University A.B.,Boston University Ph.D. |
| Known for | The Columbian Exchange (1972),Ecological Imperialism (1986) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | History |
| Institutions | Washington State University University of Texas, Austin University of Helsinki |
Alfred Worcester Crosby Jr. (January 15, 1931 – March 14, 2018) was a professor ofHistory,Geography, andAmerican Studies at theUniversity of Texas at Austin, andUniversity of Helsinki. He was the author of books includingThe Columbian Exchange (1972) andEcological Imperialism (1986). In these works, he provided biological and geographical explanations for the question why Europeans were able to succeed with relative ease in what he referred to as the "Neo-Europes" ofAustralasia,North America, and southernSouth America.America's Forgotten Pandemic (1976) is the first major critical history of the 1918 "Spanish" Flu.
Alfred Worcester Crosby Jr. was born to Ruth (née Coleman) and Alfred Worcester Crosby Sr. inBoston,Massachusetts, on January 15, 1931, grew up inWellesley, Massachusetts, and graduated fromWellesley High School.[1][2]
In 1952,[1] Crosby graduated from Harvard University, with a degree in history, then entered the U.S. Army in 1952,[3] during the Korean War, later spending (circa) twenty months stationed in thePanama Canal Zone,[4] inLatin America.[1] After being discharged from the U.S. Army in 1955,[1] he obtained a master's degree in teaching from Harvard in 1956, and a doctorate in history fromBoston University in 1961.[5]
Crosby was an inter-disciplinary researcher who combined the fields of history,geography,biology andmedicine.[5] Recognizing the majority of modern-day wealth is located inEurope and the "Neo-Europes", Crosby set out to investigate what historical causes are behind the disparity, investigating the biological factors that contributed to the success of Europeans in their quest to conquer the world. One of the important themes of his work was howepidemics affected the history ofmankind. As early as the 1970s, he was able to understand the impact of the1918 flu pandemic on world history.[5]
According toHal Rothman, a professor of History at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, Crosby "added biology to the process of human exploration, coming up with explanations for events as diverse asCortés' conquest of the Aztec Empire and the fall of theInca empire that made vital use of the physical essence of humanity."[6]
In 1972 he created the term "Columbian Exchange" in his book of the same name.[7] The term has become popular among historians and journalists.[8] Other terms coined included 'Neo-Europes'[citation needed] and 'virgin soil epidemic'.[9]
Crosby was also interested in thehistory of science andtechnology. He wrote several books on this subject, dealing with the history ofquantification, ofprojectile technology, and the history of the use ofenergy. He said that the study of history also made him a researcher of the future. He was very much interested in how humankind could make the future a better one.[5]
He taught atWashington State University, where he was a co-founder of the school's first black studies department,[10] thenYale University, theAlexander Turnbull Library inNew Zealand, and twice at theUniversity of Helsinki as aFulbright Bicentennial Professor, most recently in 1997–98. He was appointed anacademician byFinnishpresidentMartti Ahtisaari. He retired from the chair of Professor Emeritus of History, Geography, andAmerican Studies of theUniversity of Texas at Austin, after teaching for 22 years, in 1999.[5][10][11][12][13]
Crosby was interviewed by historianJohn Frederick Schwaller, who discussed Crosby's life and work.[14]
Crosby's hobbies includedbirdwatching andjazz, on which topic he could lecture with great expertise. He traveled with thirty-six students to Delano, California to assist in building a health center for theUnited Farm Workers.[4]
He was married tolinguistFrances Karttunen.[5] He was previously married, to Anna Bienemann and Barbara Stevens.[1] His son Kevin, and his daughter, Carolyn, survived him.[1] He died onNantucket Island of complications ofParkinson's disease.[1]
His wife, Frances Karttunen, said the cause was complications of Parkinson's disease, which he had lived with for almost 20 years...his survivors include his son, Kevin; his daughter, Carolyn Crosby;...His previous marriages, to Anna Bienemann and Barbara Stevens, ended in divorce.
I entered the U.S. Army during the Korean War and performed gloriously ... July of 1952 in Fort Dix, New Jersey, a certain master sergeant, having ... I spent twenty months or so stationed in the Panama Canal Zone
Thanks to…Crosby's work, the term 'Columbian exchange' is now widely used…
