SISS meets early careers
A seminar series organized by the Italian Society for he History of Science
The Italian Society for the History of Science / Società Italiana di Storia della Scienza (SISS) is pleased to announce a Seminar Series:
SISS Meets Early Careers - 3rd series 2026
The series is conceived as an informal place for early career scholars to discuss their research, present, future and past. Each session focuses on broad themes in the history of science and knowledge, bringing together diverse approaches, methodologies and chronologies. The series is open to international scholars and broad collaboration between disciplinary fields.
All seminars are held online on Zoom: https://unipd.zoom.us/j/86590524102
Information: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.; https://societastoriadellascienza.it/
16th May 2026, 4.30pm CET
José Miguel Ferreira
IHC NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST
Title: Useful Burnings or Pernicious Ignitions?
Fire, agriculture and science in late-18th and early-19th century Portugal
Abstract:
For centuries, fire played a central role in the Portuguese rural economy. It provided heat and light for the homes, and it was used to renew pastures, manage shrub encroachment, and fertilise the soil for growing cereals, through low-intensity, seasonal controlled burnings. Between the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, however, these rural fire uses came increasingly under scrutiny as an obstacle to the 'improvement' of Portuguese agriculture, through the consolidation of private property and intensive, fallow-free cultivation. This paper considers the role of fire in the scientific discourses of the 'Agricultural Enlightenment', by outlining the attitudes of naturalists and agronomists – such as António Henriques da Silveira, Francisco Soares Franco and João Fragoso de Sequeira – towards swidden cultivation and other fire-based agricultural practices. Furthermore, by examining their often-contradictory perspectives on agricultural fire in relation to vegetation, soil, hydrology and climate, the paper argues that these writings provide insights into the complex burning landscapes that characterised the Portuguese rural economy at the dawn of the modern era.
Bio:
José Miguel Ferreira is a researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History (IHC NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST). He holds a degree in History from NOVA FCSH and a MA in Modern History from the same faculty. In 2021, he completed his PhD at ICS, University of Lisbon, with a thesis on the relationship between agriculture, forestry policies and colonialism Portuguese India during the 19th century. Between 2022 and 2025, he was a member of the research project 'Burning Landscapes: A political and environmental history of the large wildfires in Portugal' His areas of research include the history of the Portuguese Empire, environmental history and the history of fire.
Seminars:
- 24th March 2026, Giacomo Simoncelli (Sapienza University of Rome);
- 5th May 2026, Brenna McWhorter (University of Virginia);
- 26th May 2026, Stephanie Reitzig (Columbia University);
- 16th June 2026, José Miguel Ferreira (IHC NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST)
