Fear up close and anxiety from afar
Human emotions in response to the immediate and long-term effects of the Tambora eruption (1815–1818)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15290/sp.2025.33.01.09Keywords
The Year Without Summer, climate history, history of emotions, 19th century press, TamboraAbstract
In this article, I examine the social consequences of the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815. The main research question concerns the impact of the disaster at the local level (the Malay Archipelago) and the global level (Western society). The analysis is based on narrative historical sources, including reports by Thomas Stamford Raffles and the European and American press. The text attempts to explain how the climate crisis affected human emotions, perceptions, and culture, leading, among other things, to apocalyptic moods. The conclusions emphasize the importance of natural disasters as catalysts for social and cultural change.
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