Expropriation in Modern History

The coercive seizure of property has been an important phenomenon in the last two centuries of global history. From the age of colonial expansion and absolutism through the emancipations of unfree populations and the world wars and revolutions of the twentieth century, the large-scale taking and redistribution of property has driven profound political, economic and social change. Yet since the late writings of Max Weber, the role of expropriation in state formation and economic development has fallen by the wayside in political science, economics, and historical research. In this talk, historian Nicholas Mulder will explore what we can learn from taking the confiscatory dimension of state power seriously, as something more than just a dangerous force to be restrained, but also as a creative force whose power has reappeared over and over.

Nicholas Mulder is an assistant professor of modern European and international history at Cornell University. He is the author of The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War (Yale UP, 2022) and the forthcoming The Age of Confiscation: Making and Taking Property in the Creation of the Modern World (Allen Lane, 2026), which will appear in German with as Macht und Eigentum: Eine Weltgeschichte der Enteignung (S. Fischer, 2026).

Speaker

Nicholas Mulder, Cornell University

Moderation

Danilo Scholz, KWI

Participation

This is a public event and participation is free of charge. There is no registration necessary.

Participation via Zoom

For online participation via Zoom please use the following Link at the given time.

Organizers

Organized by the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) as part of the annual theme 2026/27 „Red Lines“.

Ort

Online (Zoom) & Gartensaal, Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen (KWI), Goethestraße 31, 45128 Essen

Zur Veranstaltung (LINK)