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Natural History in the Age of Revolutions, 1776-1848

革命时代的博物学，1776-1848 年

基本信息

批准号：
AH/W007193/1
负责人：
Edwin Rose
金额：
$ 25.66万
依托单位：
University of Cambridge
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2022 至无数据
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FW007193%2F1
关键词：
Natural History Age Revolutions 1776

项目摘要

Historians describe the period from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century as 'the age of revolutions' and are increasingly realizing that people around the world were caught up in its tumultuous developments. Based in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, and working with project partners from the museum sector, this project will investigate how the working practices of naturalists adapted to political agendas of imperial expansion, nation state formation, and revolutionary movements during this period, and how their visions of natural and human diversity supported or resisted these agendas in turn.Specifically, we will examine how naturalists used printed books, manuscripts, illustrations and specimens to manage information flows in a world torn between imperial expansion and revolutionary ambitions and involving diverse groups across the British Empire ranging from missionaries and military surgeons to entrepreneurs and Polynesian elders. The project thus also responds to the current need to address the colonial past by exploring hidden histories of the legacies of empire and by unlocking contributions of so-called subalterns to what too often is considered a uniquely Western heritage.Encouraging scholars, students, policy makers, institutions and the public to think beyond narratives of the global spread of Western science, the project will reframe ideas about the information economy of natural history around 1800 and how it shaped modern perspectives of nature. Ideas of deep time, 'natural' affinities connecting all forms of life, and an economy of nature characterised by a 'struggle for life,' all took root during the age of revolutions. Initiating the examination and reinterpretation of collections through working with our project partners- the Natural History Museum, London, the Linnaean Society of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, State Library of New South Wales, the University of Otago, and the University of Cambridge Museums and collections- we will concentrate on the legacy of lesser-known naturalists in curatorial positions in formulating these ideas.Recent research has established that global networks provided frameworks for new imperial initiatives but also means to coordinate resistance against these. Our research will complement these insights by showing how a new class of naturalists managed global information flows between indigenous knowledge sources and a variety of 'knowledge brokers' and 'go-betweens' on the one hand, and wealthy patrons, state bureaucracies and reading publics on the other. Our guiding hypothesis is that this new-found role of facilitating global communication defined an ethos of public service as well as distinct forms of expertise that survive to this day.Research and engagement will be facilitated by concentrating on collections related to specific naturalists. Examples include the manuscripts, illustrations and specimens compiled by Alexander Anderson, whose collection includes botanical artworks produced by indigenous and enslaved West Indian artists. Similarly, Robert Brown relied on indigenous informants when circumnavigating Australia, compiling a vast natural history collection at the British Museum that he used to develop new approaches in biogeography and systematics. The project will facilitate future research and exhibitions by integrating information on provenance into institutional catalogues and databases. Connecting natural history collections to the colonial past, we will disseminate a new understanding of this period through public exhibitions and a series of public talks, an accessible illustrated edited book and article, a project website and social media. We will also advise on and participate in project partners' outreach events to engage different audiences with new visions of how natural history contributed to the rise of the modern world.

历史学家将十八世纪中叶至十九世纪中叶这段时期描述为“革命时代”，并越来越意识到世界各地的人们都卷入了这一动荡的发展之中。本项目以剑桥大学历史与科学哲学系为基础，与博物馆部门的项目合作伙伴合作，将调查自然主义者的工作实践如何适应这一时期帝国扩张、民族国家形成和革命运动的政治议程，以及他们对自然和人类多样性的看法如何反过来支持或抵制这些议程。具体来说，我们将研究博物学家如何使用印刷书籍，手稿，插图和标本，以管理信息流在一个世界之间的帝国扩张和革命野心撕裂，并涉及不同群体在整个大英帝国从传教士和军医到企业家和波利尼西亚长老。因此，该项目也回应了当前解决殖民历史的需要，探索帝国遗产的隐藏历史，并通过释放所谓的次级者对通常被认为是独特的西方遗产的贡献。鼓励学者，学生，政策制定者，机构和公众超越西方科学全球传播的叙述，该项目将重新构建1800年左右自然历史信息经济的概念，以及它如何塑造现代自然观。深时间的观念，连接所有生命形式的“自然”亲和力，以及以“为生命而战”为特征的自然经济，都在革命时代扎根。通过与我们的项目合作伙伴-自然历史博物馆，伦敦，伦敦林奈协会，皇家植物园，基尤，新南威尔士州州立图书馆，奥塔哥大学，和剑桥大学博物馆和收藏品-我们将集中在较小的遗产-最近的研究表明，全球网络为新的帝国主义倡议提供了框架，但也提供了协调抵制这些倡议的手段。我们的研究将通过展示一个新的自然主义者阶层如何管理土著知识来源和各种“知识经纪人”和“中间人”之间的全球信息流，以及富裕的赞助人，国家官僚机构和阅读公众之间的信息流来补充这些见解。我们的指导假设是，这种促进全球交流的新角色定义了公共服务的精神，以及生存到今天的独特形式的专业知识。研究和参与将通过专注于与特定自然主义者相关的收藏来促进。例子包括亚历山大安德森汇编的手稿、插图和标本，他的收藏包括土著和被奴役的西印度艺术家制作的植物艺术品。同样，罗伯特·布朗（Robert Brown）在环游澳大利亚时也依靠土著线人，在大英博物馆（British Museum）收集了大量自然历史藏品，他利用这些藏品开发了新的地理学和系统学方法。该项目将通过将出处信息纳入机构目录和数据库，促进今后的研究和展览。将自然历史收藏品与殖民地历史联系起来，我们将通过公开展览和一系列公开讲座，一本可访问的插图编辑书籍和文章，一个项目网站和社交媒体传播对这一时期的新理解。我们还将为项目合作伙伴的外联活动提供建议并参与其中，以使不同的受众了解自然历史如何为现代世界的崛起做出贡献。