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David Wilson

@davidwilsonhist.bsky.social
2.5K followers 675 following 69 posts

Historian working on legal and environmental history within context of colonialism & oceans / lakes, esp. piracy, fishing, & marine science. Current focus: Law, Science, and the British Colonial Fisheries Advisory Committee. Senior Lecturer @ Strathclyde.

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Reposted by David Wilson
David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
🚨🐟 The final output from our Lessons from Lake Malawi project has just been published in Isis. This article interrogates the role of science in shaping the regulations and development of Lake Malawi’s fisheries during late colonial rule. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
journals.uchicago.edu
Toward an Optimum Yield : Science, Technology, and Fisheries Development in Lake Malawi, 1930–1964 | Isis: Vol 117, No 1
Abstract In the late colonial period, fisheries science and colonial development programs converged in blueprints to better exploit marine resources throughout the British empire. Yet, the historiogra...
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
🚨🐟 The final output from our Lessons from Lake Malawi project has just been published in Isis. This article interrogates the role of science in shaping the regulations and development of Lake Malawi’s fisheries during late colonial rule. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
journals.uchicago.edu
Toward an Optimum Yield : Science, Technology, and Fisheries Development in Lake Malawi, 1930–1964 | Isis: Vol 117, No 1
Abstract In the late colonial period, fisheries science and colonial development programs converged in blueprints to better exploit marine resources throughout the British empire. Yet, the historiogra...
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Thank you! I’m utter useless with tagging … !
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Immensely grateful to the editors and anonymous reviewers @thejah.bsky.social whose comments and suggestions immensely strengthened and deepened this article. Over the moon that the piece appears in such an outstanding journal with such committed editors. Cheers! 🐠
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Thanks, Anjuli! Hope you’re well! And hope there’s something of use in there. This has been in process since way back at the Charting African Waterscapes conference!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
"'The Net That Catches the Most Fish': Fishing, Innovation, & Law in the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana), c. 1898–1923" now published @thejah.bsky.social. This article was in the works for several years, very pleased to see it out. Thank you to the editors & reviewers. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
“The Net That Catches the Most Fish”: Fishing, Innovation, and Law in the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana), c. 1898–1923 | The Journal of African History | Cambridge Core
“The Net That Catches the Most Fish”: Fishing, Innovation, and Law in the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana), c. 1898–1923 - Volume 67
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
🚨🐟 CFP - COLONIAL HINTER-SEAS: A Conference on Subaquatic Resources and Waterside Lives from the Early Modern to the Contemporary, 10-11 August 2026, virtual, Zoom & 19-21 August 2026, in-person, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. Details: www.colonialfisheries.com/colonial-hin... 🐟🚨
colonialfisheries.com
Colonial Hinter-Seas Conference 2026 | Colonial Fisheries
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Or you can also join us for our launch event in Blantyre at @DLivingstoneBP on 12 August from 14:30-16:30 where the pop-up exhibition will also be displayed in August and September! www.scotland-malawipartnership.org/events/lesso...
scotland-malawipartnership.org
Lessons from Lake Malawi: Fisheries Governance in the Colonial Era
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Join us at the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther and online on 14 August as we launch our pop-up exhibition at the museum based on our Lessons from Lake Malawi projects. 🐠🐟 Co-hosted by the Scotland-Malawi Partnership. www.scotland-malawipartnership.org/events/lesso...
scotland-malawipartnership.org
Lessons from Lake Malawi: Fisheries Governance in the Colonial Era
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
It was a real privilege to be asked to chat about our OA article on fisheries in Lake Malawi for the JAH podcast 🐟. Link below — check it out and let me know what you think! 👇
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Reposted by David Wilson
The Journal of African History @thejah.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
In our latest #OA #HistoryMatters piece, the team of Milo Gough, Bryson Nkhoma, Elias Chirwa, @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social‬, Charles Knapp, Tracy Morse, and Wapulumuka Mulwafu explore the history of present day #Fisheries management in #LakeMalawi: bit.ly/4lmkjoT
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Our final virtual panel for Problem of Piracy IV is starting in just over an hour — “Encountering and Policing Piracy” Feat. four papers covering diverse legal and practical measures to tackle piracy across geographical and temporal bounds. Register using the link below! 🏴‍☠️
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Two exciting online panels on the history of piracy tomorrow for Problem of Piracy IV: “Performing Piracy and Power” and “Dynamics of Piracy and Privateering” Registration link in the post below! All welcome!
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Reposted by David Wilson
David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
🚨🏴‍☠️ Performing, practising, and policing piracy! The 4th Problem of Piracy conference takes place in Exeter later this month. But next week we have THREE special virtual panels that are open to all on 12 and 13 June. Details and registration link via: www.problemofpiracy.com/conference-2025 🏴‍☠️🚨
Information of three virtual panels, details available via Eventbrite using the link in the post.
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
🚨🏴‍☠️ Performing, practising, and policing piracy! The 4th Problem of Piracy conference takes place in Exeter later this month. But next week we have THREE special virtual panels that are open to all on 12 and 13 June. Details and registration link via: www.problemofpiracy.com/conference-2025 🏴‍☠️🚨
Information of three virtual panels, details available via Eventbrite using the link in the post.
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Reposted by David Wilson
Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
A new website w/database on the 1680s Scottish migration to East New Jersey is 'live' #earlymodern #VastEarlyAmerica eastjerseybound.scot
eastjerseybound.scot
Home - East Jersey Bound
Home page: Scots emigrants to East New Jersey in the 1680s: why did they come, who were they and what became of them?
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
An insightful and disquieting article on “Afropolitans and the fantasy of a digital nation” by Milo Gough, one member of the Lessons of Lake Malawi team. africasacountry.com/2025/05/afro...
africasacountry.com
Afropolitans and the fantasy of a digital nation
Web3 utopians promised a sovereign future for the African diaspora—but what they delivered was a networking club for elites, wrapped in crypto-libertarian hype and Afro-futurist aesthetics.
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Sounds good! Im away this week then should be around for most of the summer. Ah, yes, that conference looked great but I had to withdraw as my teaching schedule changed … One of my students is going though, will be sure to introduce you both too!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Ah sorry I misread that! But looking forward all the same.
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Definitely! The parallels are really interesting (inc similar laws and rhetoric, AND personnel…). Always keen to unpack more — we should have a coffee soon and discuss!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Ha! Fantastic, and congrats! Looking forward to checking out your new chapter in Isaac’s book too! Currently away but hoping the Routledge book might be waiting when I get back too…
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Reposted by David Wilson
Molly Warsh @mwarsh.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
My article "Seasonal Harvests: Migration, Reproduction, and Religion in the Early Modern Spanish Tuna Fisheries" is now available online in advance of the July issue of @envirohistory.bsky.social. The essay reflects years of work and revision; I'm so grateful for the help I got along the way.
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Ah thank you Cathy! All just lucky timing — like buses, the printing of publications seem to arrive in multiples…! Hope all’s well otherwise. I’ve been away for the past few writing sessions unfortunately, but hope to attend more regularly in June!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
‼️🐠 Our short “History Matters” piece — “Colonialism, Governance, and Fisheries: Perspectives from Lake Malawi” just published OA in The Journal of African History! doi.org/10.1017/S002... A lengthier piece expanding on fisheries surveys & colonial development in L. Malawi coming soon in Isis… 🐠‼️
doi.org
Colonialism, Governance, and Fisheries: Perspectives from Lake Malawi | The Journal of African History | Cambridge Core
Colonialism, Governance, and Fisheries: Perspectives from Lake Malawi - Volume 66
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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
I'm shocked at how little we engage with the extra-geographical features of early modern maps. I mean, LOOK at this one!
The first known map of Barbados, created before scientific cartography took off. Created by Richard Ligon, it lists the plantations around the coastal parts of the island, while the less-explored interior is an explosion of images and symbolism which highlights what Ligon knew and imagined about this space.
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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 12/05/2025
My letter to the Prime Minister. #immigration
Slightly amended so I can fit this here: 

I am writing to you as an immigrant who chose to make the UK my home. As someone who is now also a British citizen. And as a German-born historian who understands where the complete normalisation of the far right can end. I write to say: For shame!

I first came to the UK in the 1990s for a visit with my grandmother. Objectively, much was backwards here. No mixer taps in the bathroom; awful ‘bread’; and strings had to be pulled to switch on lights. But however I felt about this, my own string had been pulled: I loved this Cool Britannia. It was quite possibly then that I decided that the UK was to be my home. When I arrived to settle here permanently, I made a choice: to contribute my skills, my knowledge—all I have to offer—to this country rather than another one.

I am deeply disgusted by your comment today that immigration has done ‘incalculable damage’ to the country. 

This is the language of the far right. It is insulting, hateful & will fuel xenophobia. And it is just wrong.

Migration is a normal part of the human existence. None of us would be where we are without it. Open your fridge and you will see migration. Immigrants help make the UK tick every single day, whether we clean toilets in our hospitals or provide care for the elderly; whether we empty our bins or carry out cancer research. We are mothers, sons-in-law, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

I ask you not tell me that you do not mean me. I know that you do not—at least not primarily—mean a white woman from Europe who has a PhD. But who do you mean? And, much more importantly, who do you think those racists who were engaged in riots on our streets last summer think you mean?

Anti-immigration narratives have defined UK policymaking for the best part of two decades. And fundamentally so. They were the key driver in delivering Brexit, for example, and, as such, have directly limited the rights and opportunities of British citizens.This obsessive focus on immigration as the ‘problem’—that is the real problem. And it is consistently delivering poor outcomes for the UK. Instead of tackling this, you are choosing to consolidate it, sowing divisions along the way.

You may point me to polling and tell me that this is what voters want. Do they? I am not surprised at all that over 50% of voters might say they want to see immigration reduced if that is the question they are being asked. What we need to know is what they would answer to the question: “Would you like to see immigration reduced? What this would mean for you and your local community is XYZ.” That is not how surveys can ask questions, but governments absolutely can choose to make policy using such a more informed position. 

Prime Minister, you continue to talk a lot about making the tough choices. But let’s be clear: setting immigrants up as the ‘other’, as a scapegoat—describing us as a threat ‘pulling the country apart’, a ‘squalid chapter’, a risk that might make the UK an ‘island of strangers’—these are not tough choices at all. These are the easy choices. They are the choices that populists make who have no solutions to the real problems a country faces.

What I would like to know, Prime Minister, is what you will do when your policies lead to the implosion of the UK’s Higher Education sector. What you will tell communities when they can no longer provide any care for the elderly.

The policies you announced today will not solve anything at all. They will have exclusively negative impacts. For those immediately affected; for our communities; and for our economy. 

Being pro-immigration—it is progressive, yes, but the much more crucial point is that it is also the most pro-UK policy approach that any politician in the country can pursue. And you are choosing to do the opposite. This, Prime Minister, is the real damage—and it will be very calculable indeed. 

Tanja Bueltmann
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Reposted by David Wilson
Paul Montgomery @stonefishweirs.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Today let's celebrate #africanworldheritageday, #Africa is home to all and a dynamic continent with heritage unlike any other! #coastalhistory #Angloa #Zululand #Southafrica #Zimbabwe.
Arial image of Stillbay fish traps South Africa. Sources Goggle Maps.Aerial satellite imagery of the wooden fish traps from the coast Kosi Bay Zululand South Africa.Digital photograph (colour); view of painted rock art on a rock face showing oval-like shape (net?) outlined in red and infilled by red fishes. The shape is surrounded by several human figures and animals, most of them antelopes infilled in red and depicted upright facing right. The human figures are outlined or infilled in red, mostly depicted upright facing right and in some cases with the legs splayed as if running. Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe.Images of river fish weir Cuiva River, Bié Province, Angola
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
“The Routledge History of the Modern Maritime World since 1500” edited by Kenneth Morgan released last week! A privilege to be among such esteemed colleagues. It will be an excellent teaching resource too — I’ll certainly be assigning many chapters! www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/1...
taylorfrancis.com
The Routledge History of the Modern Maritime World since 1500 | Kennet
The Routledge History of the Modern Maritime World since 1500 provides a wide-ranging set of chapters, covering the sixteenth century to the present, which
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Ha, thank you! Hope all’s well!!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Looking forward to this chapter coming out soon as part of a fantastic volume! And the @shiftingsovs.bsky.social volume looks fantastic too!!
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SGSSS @sgsss.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
We are live! Our 25 projects across 11 partner institutions are now open for applications! For more on these positions, visit: www.sgsss.ac.uk/studentships... We encourage applicants to review our guidance for more on eligibility, the application process, etc: www.sgsss.ac.uk/files/Studen...
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Come join @tanjabueltmann.net and I at Strathclyde for a funded PhD on built heritage and Glasgow’s slaving links, centred around Tobacco Merchant’s House. Excellent ops to engage with heritage industry via co-supervision by Scottish Civic Trust! Details below! Any questions - get in touch!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Ha thanks, Milica, it’s incredible!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
I’m visiting at the EUI in Florence! It is really rather amazing…!! And it’s just slightly warmer and drier and brighter than Glasgow right now …
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
There are certainly worse places to spend a week writing …
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MA Naval, Maritime and Coastal History Portsmouth @navalhistory.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Coming soon! Routledge Maritime History of the Modern World. Publication scheduled for May 2025. For those who took Research Skills w/ Cathryn, you'll recognise her chapter. It also includes chapters by @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social and Richard Blakemore among others! #MaritimeHistory #CoastalHistory
A screen grab of the cover. It is light blue, with The Routledge History of he Modern Maritime World since 1500 as the title, with an  image of a ship, and 'edited by Kenneth Morgan on the bottom.
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Environment and History, White Horse Press @eandhwhp.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Call for submissions! Snapshots are short essays which focus on environmental challenges of the 21st century, looking to historical perspectives to inform a more sustainable world. See the attached call & send a pitch to @tluneau.bsky.social, deputy editor (tyson.luneau@cortland.edu) #envhist
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
In The National Archives to follow up a few references for a chapter — it’s been about 5 years since I last looked at CO records in person… nice wee sojourn and, as ever, pirates popping out the page even when it’s not what I’m looking for …
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Casey Schmitt @csschmitt.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
A wonderful distraction from the world literally burning to the ground: page proofs for The Predatory Sea! 🗃️ Coming to bookstores (if those still exist) in September!
Cover page for new book titled The Predatory Sea: Human Trafficking and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
The main publication from our “Lessons from Lake Malawi” project has just been published OA by Marine Policy. “Without historical awareness, reproduction of one-size-fits-all approaches to fisheries management remains all too common” www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 🐠 #envhist #envhum 🐟
sciencedirect.com
Fishing (in) the past to inform the future: Lessons from the histories of fisheries management in Lake Malawi and Mbenji Island
Without historical interrogation of past and present fisheries management, governors and their sponsors often fall into the trap of replicating and re…
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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
In Which @johnfreeman.bsky.social Talks a Little Colonising Failure @wadehistory.bsky.social @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social @erikagaffney.bsky.social @ginahist.bsky.social
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
This was quite the collaborative piece to tackle but led to so many enjoyable conversations and debates among wonderful colleagues. I’m so very proud of the outcome! Hoping these are conversations we can pick up again as a team in the future!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Problem of Piracy IV CFP deadline this week! 🏴‍☠️🚨
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Sasha Handley @sashahandley.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Please share the CFP for our conference: 'Bodies and Environments in the Early Modern World'. Our keynotes are Marcy Norton @marcynorton.bsky.social (Pennsylvania) & Sara Miglietti (Warburg Institute). Join us 9-10 June at JRRIL, Manchester. Further details at: sites.manchester.ac.uk/sleeping-wel...
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Deadline for Problem of Piracy IV @uniofexeter.bsky.social (19-20 June 2025) coming up this month! Submit your paper proposals by 20 December 🏴‍☠️⛵️!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Looks brilliant, cheers Matt! I really want to look more into the legalities surrounding quarantine as a means to control mobilities between ship and shore… And circumventions of that… But who knows when (if ever) I’ll get to that!
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Fever: Global Histories of (a) Disease @feverprojecthd.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
#CFP We are excited to announce the workshop “Fever: Histories of (a) Disease, c. 1750-1840”, which will take place on 10-11 July 2025 in Heidelberg 📍 and invite paper proposals related to the subject of fever(s)! Spread the word!
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David Wilson @davidwilsonhist.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Pleased to share the latest StoryMap from the Lessons from Lake Malawi project, focusing on the history of fisheries management at Mbenji Island, inc. interviews and speeches from the closing ceremony in Dec 2022: arcg.is/01PCT0 More info can here: www.colonialfisheries.com #maritimehistory
arcg.is
Mbenji Island Fisheries Management: A History
This StoryMap presents an overview of the history of the Mbenji Island Fisheries Management Regime as told through oral history interviews.
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