Part of Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2025
In conversation with Joanna Gavins.
Sadiah Qureshi specialises in the history of science, race and empire. Vanished is a fascinating exploration of the history of extinction, weaving together stories from the animal and plant world with the extinction of peoples, revealing the nature of extinction as a scientific idea, imperial legacy and political choice. Looking both forward and back, the book explores the thorny issue of de-extinction and assesses the merits of the 30 by 30 global conservation plan. Written with pioneering research, Vanished feels both fresh and timely, troubling and hopeful.
Sadiah Qureshi is a writer and Professor of modern British History at the University of Manchester. Her books include Peoples on Parade: Exhibitions, Empire and Anthropology in Nineteenth-Century Britain.
Joanna Gavins is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Sheffield. Her work explores relationships between language, cognition and the environment.
Guest curated by Professor Joanna Gavins.
