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Book ID: CBB499045594

Reassembling the Strange: Naturalists, Missionaries, and the Environment of Nineteenth-Century Madagascar (2018)

Anderson, Thomas J. (Author)

Lexington Books
Publication date: 2018
Language: English

Publication Date: 2018
Physical Details: 250

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Natural history Colonialism Naturalists Missionaries and missions Biological diversity; biodiversity 19th century Madagascar

This book examines how Westerners understood and processed Madagascar and its environment during the nineteenth century. Madagascar’s unique ecosystem crafted its reputation as a strange place full of unusual species. Westerners, however, often minimized Madagascar’s peculiar features to stress the commonality of its fauna and flora with the world. The attempt to understand the island through science led to a domestication of its environment that created the image of a tame and known world capable of being controlled and used by Western powers. At the heart of the exploration of Madagascar and its transformation in Western eyes from a strange world to a cash crop colony were missionaries and naturalists who relied upon global experiences to master the island by normalizing the peculiar qualities of Madagascar’s environment. This book reveals how the environment played a dominant role in understanding the island and its people, and how current environmental debates have evolved from earlier policies and discussions about the environment.

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Reviewed By

Review Russell Moul (2020) Review of "Reassembling the Strange: Naturalists, Missionaries, and the Environment of Nineteenth-Century Madagascar". British Journal for the History of Science (pp. 413-415). unapi

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