Pandemics & Society Webinar 15 October, “What can the Collier letters from the mid-1970s tell us about 1918 influenza bereavement?”
For the 3rd Pandemics & Society Seminar of our Fall 2026 series we are pleased to welcome Vibeke Narverud Nyborg (University of South-Eastern Norway). The seminar will be held on Thursday, 15 October at the normal time (16:00 CEST). More information about our speakers and the presentation is below. You can sign up for email notifications about the seminar series, including the Zoom details, here.
About the talk:
The talk addresses a relatively unexplored area within the study of historical pandemics: the memories of people who survived the influenza pandemic of 1918. Specifically, the talk focuses on how individual recollections and experiences can emerge as representations of a medical catastrophe, and how these memories can shed light on the long-term consequences of the pandemic. Through an analysis of personal narratives, the talk will explore a range of themes and show these can be understood in light of contemporary understandings of disease and health, as well as how people made sense of the crisis that struck, especially related to bereavement.
The talk is based on a paper currently undergoing review.
About the speaker:
Vibeke Narverud Nyborg is an associate Professor in history of medicine and health at University of South-Eastern Norway. Nyborg has been affiliated member of PANSOC since 2021 and among her research focus is qualitative research on historical pandemics in relation to long-term societal effects.
