HIS33340

This module aims to examine the foundational role of horses in shaping the global
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A particular emphasis on their roles during the
transition from traditional labor to industrial modernity will be made. Contrary to the belief
that steam power rendered them obsolete, the module will argue that equine populations
surged alongside technological growth to support urban transport and imperial expansion. It
will also highlight and discuss the military significance of the warhorse through major
conflicts of the nineteenth century, while also underlining the tragic physical tolls of
mechanisation on the battlefield. Beyond mere utility, we will explore how selective breeding
and "blood" lineages influenced national identity and social hierarchies across diverse
cultures in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the
twentieth century. In the post-World War II era, the horse has transitioned from a "living
machine" into a cultural and therapeutic icon, serving as a muse for art and photography.
Ultimately, this module will demonstrate an "animal turn" in the historiography of the
modern ages, repositioning the horse as an active participant in the human story rather than a
passive tool.
The module will adopt a global history perspective to the modern history of horse by
comparing their role and place in various societies of the world and stress how horse played a
part in connecting peoples, spaces and cultures. It willpursue the following major questions in
the global history of humanity during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:
- How did the horse serve as a vital engine for modern industrialisation throughout the
nineteenth century?
- In what ways did mechanisation transform the horse's military and socio-economic
roles across the world?
- How has the horse transitioned from a living machine to cultural icon during the mid
twentieth century?