Article ID: CBB843335685

From the state of nature to the state of ruins: ‘American race’ and ‘savage knowledge’ according to Carl von Martius (2022)

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This study focuses on the notions of ‘ruins’, ‘savage knowledge’, and ‘American race’ in the works of the German naturalist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868). A somewhat neglected figure in the history of anthropology and of natural history, Martius was regarded by scholars from Europe and the Americas as a leading figure in botany and ethnology in the nineteenth century. In this article, I discuss how Martius articulated: (1) the notion of American race, that is, a broad characterization of the native peoples of the Americas rooted in a complex natural history which brought together seemingly disparate fields of knowledge, such as medicine, botany, theology, philology, and mythology; (2) having ruins as a guiding concept, which helped him to make sense of American natives; and (3) savage knowledge – a concept semantically aligned to that of ruins, and among whose principal modes of expression was shamanic practice.

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Authors & Contributors
Kerr, Ashley Elizabeth
Janssen, Lydia
Brian Hochman
Raphael Bezerra da Silva Uchôa
Wood, Susan Marie
Kugel, Rebecca
Concepts
Anthropology
Science and race
American Indians; Native Americans; First Nations of the Americas
Ethnography
Indigenous peoples; indigeneity
Native American civilization and culture
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
18th century
20th century, early
17th century
Places
United States
Great Britain
Germany
France
Australia
Tasmania (Australia)
Institutions
Smithsonian Institution
Crystal Palace
University of California
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