This year, Tim Riswick (RICH) has been awarded an NWO SSH XS grant. This grant, worth up to 50,000, enables researchers to set up a short-term project within the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines. With his project The Geography of Inequalities in Death and Disease: Understanding Regional Variation in Mortality in Dutch Cities, 1850-1950, Riswick investigates the differences in mortality and disease in Dutch cities between 1850 and 1950.
In The Geography of Inequalities in Death and Disease: Understanding Regional Variation in Mortality in Dutch Cities, 1850-1950 , Riswick investigates how social and regional differences in mortality and causes of death arose in Dutch cities. By digitising historical archives from multiple cities with the help of citizen scientists via www.doodsoorzaken.nl, the first nationwide dataset of historical causes of death is being created. The project thus enables new insights into the development of health inequality and will make the data publicly available for follow-up research, as well as for family and local history.
By comparing historical causes of death from various cities, we can investigate when health inqualities arose, which groups and illnesses were involved and to what extent local circumstances in the various cities played a role. Precisely because many of these diseases are less common today, the past offers a unique laboratory for understanding how social and environmental factors influence health. – Tim Riswick
The SSH XS grant is intended for small-scale, innovative research projects lasting up to two years. The scheme offers researchers the opportunity to explore new ideas, establish new collaborations or test innovative methods within the Social Sciences and Humanities.
We warmly congratulate Tim Riswick on receiving this grant.