History Extra podcast From dodos to 'lost' tribes: a history of extinction
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Aug 21, 2025 Sadiah Qureshi, a Chair in Modern British History at the University of Manchester and author of 'Vanished', dives into the profound impacts of human actions on extinction. She unpacks the historical narrative surrounding the dodo and its legacy, revealing how colonialism intertwined with species loss. The discussion also reflects on Indigenous perspectives, challenging traditional extinction narratives. Qureshi emphasizes the need for an emotional and respectful relationship with nature, advocating for justice in conservation efforts and the rights of Indigenous communities.
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Seeing The Oxford Dodo
- Sadiah Qureshi describes the Oxford dodo as a mummified remnant of a once-complete skin and finds seeing it deeply upsetting.
- She says the specimen made her feel humans have willfully robbed the world of distinctive ways of being.
Extinction Was Theologically Unthinkable
- Early observers treated the dodo's loss as a one-off human-caused rupture rather than an ongoing natural process.
- Theological views of a perfect created world made continuous extinction conceptually unacceptable.
Cuvier: Fossils Proved Lost Worlds
- Georges Cuvier used mammoth and other fossil remains to argue that entire species had vanished from nature.
- He framed some disappearances as catastrophes, helping establish extinction as a historical phenomenon.
