Hochadel, Oliver (Author)
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Volume: 64
Issue: 3
Pages: 561-590
Was the zoological garden a place for science in the 19th and 20th centuries? This question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Rather, this Special Issue suggests, we need to reconstruct how the concrete conditions of the zoo as an institution influenced, enabled, triggered, facilitated, obstructed, or impeded scientific research. The zoo was and is a multifunctional space serving different constituencies, such as scientists of different disciplines, artists, breeders, and the general public. This collection of articles argues that despite or even because of its hybrid character, the zoo generated knowledge about exotic animals in often unexpected ways. This Special Issue conceives of “science at the zoo” as a an “impure,” yet very rich epistemic constellation with its very own dynamic, tensions, and contradictions.The first part of this introduction provides a historical overview of the topic. Synthesizing the existing secondary literature, it addresses the major themes of science at the zoo: the debate among scientists about the pros and cons of research conducted in and outside the cages; the gap between the promise of doing research at the zoo and the actual practices; and the emergence of new fields of knowledge such as zoo veterinary medicine, zoo biology, and conservation science.The introduction's second part draws out the common topics that connect the eight articles of this Special Issue: the multiplicity of spaces interacting with the zoo; the broad range of historical actors, including academics, animal traders, and zoo keepers; the changing roles of the zoo-going public; and the negotiation of authority and epistemic hierarchies in producing knowledge about zoo animals. The large numbers of zoos and the long temporal range these articles cover bring the constant evolution of “science at the zoo”-and hence its intrinsic historical dimension-to the fore.
...MoreArticle Miquel Carandell Baruzzi (2022) Mediterranean Dolphins from Miami: Knowledge and Practices in Barcelona Zoo's Aquarama (1962–1970). Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 751-772).
Article Marianna Szczygielska (2022) Undoing Extinction: The Role of Zoos in Breeding Back the Tarpan Wild Horse, 1922–1945. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 729-750).
Article Violette Pouillard (2022) Animal Feeding, Animal Experiments, and the Zoo as a Laboratory: Paris Ménagerie and London Zoo, ca. 1793–1939: The Zoo as a Laboratory. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 705-728).
Article Katherine McLeod (2022) The Call of the Hoatzin: Ecology, Evolution, and Eugenics at the Bronx Zoo. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 683-704).
Article Eleanor Larsson (2022) “Here They Are in Flesh and Feather”: Walter Rothschild's “Private Zoo” and the Preparation and Taxonomic Study of Cassowaries. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 659-682).
Article Oliver Hochadel (2022) How to Get into the Pouch: Solving the Riddle of the Kangaroo Birth (1826–1926). Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 635-658).
Article Christian Reiß (2022) From Existential Knowledge to Experimental Practice: The Mexican Axolotl, the Paris Ménagerie, and the Epistemic Benefits of Keeping Unknown Animals, 1850–1876. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 615-634).
Article Helen Cowie (2022) A Tale of Two Anteaters: Madrid 1776 and London 1853. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 591-614).
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