Article ID: CBB017200598

Botany and the Science of History: Nature, Culture, and the Origins of Civilization, circa 1850–1900 (2022)

unapi

Research has shown that there has often been overlap between the humanities and the sciences. This essay brings to the fore a prominent borderline case in cultural history, where the mix of disciplines that could contribute to its study became an issue of debate. It examines the attempts made by botanists throughout the nineteenth century, culminating around 1900, to call into question the monopoly of the humanities on cultural history. Botanists argued that botanical objects, such as the original forms of ancient grains, were important historical sources, and the renowned Georg Schweinfurth even advocated a new concept of “culture” that prioritized the sciences. The essay argues that this development is part of the period’s discourse on the origins of human civilization, which included more and less productive encounters between the botanical study of the migration and development of plants over time and the study of human history.

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Authors & Contributors
Asselin, Alain
Lara Pauline Karpenko
Meeker, Natania
Shalyn Rae Claggett
Contin, Duilio
Cayouette, Jacques
Concepts
Plants
Botany
Science and art
Science and literature
Nature and its relationship to culture; human-nature relationships
Naturalists
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
20th century, early
20th century
Early modern
Modern
Places
Great Britain
England
Amazon River Region (South America)
Guyana; British Guiana
Padua (Italy)
Scotland
Institutions
Vilniaus universitetas
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