Hope in the Shadow of Unnatural Extinctions

Extinction was once regarded as a theologically suspect idea until modern naturalists established that it was inherent in the natural world following the French Revolution. While the first discussions of extinction as a natural law concerned prehistoric animals, new ideas about loss were quickly extended to colonised peoples and contemporary extinctions such as the great auk. This lecture traces the legacies of these new ideas about extinction to ask how we generate hope and secure justice for all life on earth.

The Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal and Lecture 2025 is awarded to Professor Sadiah Qureshi for distinguished specialism in subjects related to science, race and empire.

Professor Qureshi is a Chair in Modern British History at University of Manchester. She is currently a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Royal Anthropological Institute, and the Linnean Society.

Professor Qureshi is an accomplished author. Her first book, Peoples on Parade (2011), is a prize-winning, landmark survey of the commercial exhibition of displayed peoples in nineteenth-century Britain. It explores the importance of these shows for intercultural encounter, notions of racial difference, and the development of anthropology as a discipline.

Her latest book, Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction was shortlisted for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. Vanished is a love letter to the ways of being that have survived past extinctions, and an exhortation to create a worthwhile world based on justice for all life.

• The lecture can be attended in person at the Royal Society.
• This event is free to join, but prebooking is required to attend in person.
• We will release tickets in batches. Batch 1 is available from 25 March, Batch 2 from 14 April, and Last Chance Tickets from 8 May.
• Please note that as this is a free event, we anticipate that not everyone who reserves tickets will use them and we therefore make more tickets available than there are seats. You are highly unlikely to be refused entry but please be aware that admission is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed. Please arrive early to secure a seat.
• Live subtitles will be available.
• Doors will open at 6pm.
• Find travel and accessibility information on our website. Please email [email protected] with any access requirements or questions.
• The lecture will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society YouTube channel. Please note you do not need to register to attend online.

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