Thesis ID: CBB909704817

Scientific Islanders: Pacific Peoples, American Scientists, and the Desire to Understand the World, 1800-1860 (2019)

unapi

Between 1800 and 1860, Pacific Islanders sought answers to questions about the mechanics and origins of the universe, just as Americans did. But the systems of thought created by Natives addressing these matters generally would not have been considered “scientific” by Americans. Pacific Islanders and Americans, nevertheless, created extensive scientific traditions to systematically perceive, understand, and explain the nature of existence. These systems were rooted in religion, social dynamics, and other cultural norms, and manifested themselves in writing, artwork, explorations, and technologies that benefited their societies. Thus, this thesis argues that the practice of scientific methods was not simply a Western phenomenon. Pacific Islanders, like Americans, sought to understand the universe by asking questions, ascribing causes to wonders, and experimenting with technologies. It further argues that the knowledge yielded by these groups circulated the globe, changing the course of scientific practices in the Pacific and America well into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

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Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB909704817/

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Authors & Contributors
Orchiston, Wayne
Ige, O. Akinlolu
Rose Ann B. Bautista
Mejuto, Javier
Colin Bos
Ryan Manuel D. Guido
Concepts
Traditional knowledge
Indigenous peoples; indigeneity
Indigenous technology
Epistemology
Cosmology
Colonialism
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
20th century, early
Early modern
Enlightenment
21st century
Places
Islands of the Pacific
Hawaii (U.S.)
Africa
Yorubaland (West Africa)
Allahabad (India)
Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
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