Conquering Nature in Spain and its Empire, 1750-1850 (Hardcover)

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.

General

Imprint:	Manchester University Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Studies in Imperialism
Release date:	November 2011
First published:	October 2011
Authors:	Helen Cowie
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - With dust jacket
Pages:	256
ISBN-13:	978-0-7190-8493-5
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Imperialism Books > History > American history > General
LSN:	0-7190-8493-8
Barcode:	9780719084935

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