Conquering Nature in Spain and Its Empire, 1750-1850

This book examines the study of natural history in the Spanish empire in the years 1750-1850. During this period, Spain made strenuous efforts to survey, inventory and exploit the natural productions of her overseas possessions, orchestrating a serries of scientific expeditions and cultivating and d [...]
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This book examines the study of natural history in the Spanish empire in the years 1750-1850. During this period, Spain made strenuous efforts to survey, inventory and exploit the natural productions of her overseas possessions, orchestrating a serries of scientific expeditions and cultivating and displaying American fauna and flora in metropolitan gardens and museums. This book assesses the cultural significance of natural history, emphasising the figurative and utilitarian value with which eighteenth-century Spaniards invested natural objects, from globetrotting elephants to three-legged chickens. It considers how the creation, legitimisation and dissemination of scientific knowledge reflected broader questions of imperial power and national identity. Taking a transatlantic approach to the history of science, Conquering Nature examines the contribution of colonial subjects to the wider imperial research project.Of particular interest is the ambiguous position of creole (American-born Spanish) naturalists, who were simultaneously anxious to secure European recognition for their work, to celebrate the natural wealth of their homelands and, in some cases, to vindicate local forms of knowledge against universal European systems. Conquering nature considers how and where knowledge about the natural world was created, assessing the relative merits of the field and the botanical garden or natural history cabinet. The analysis extends into the post-independence period, when northern European naturalists descended on the former Spanish colonies and the fledgling states sought to establish their own museums of natural history. This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Spanish and Latin American History, the History of Science and Imperial Culture.