AHRC Collaborative PhD Studentships with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Cross-Cultural Histories of Tropical Botany in Latin America
Research project supervised by Dr Luciana Martins (Birkbeck) and Christopher
Mills (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
The project aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of the cross-cultural histories
of tropical botany in Latin America. It forms part of a broader programme of collaborative
research between the project partners which seeks to explore new cross-cultural
perspectives on botanical collections. While recent historical research on Kew has
focused almost entirely on the metropolitan context of its development and its relation to
areas formerly under British rule (Drayton, Nature’s Government, 2000), the cultural
history of the transatlantic exchanges between Britain and Latin America has been
relatively under-researched (Aguirre, Informal Empire, 2005). Whereas ethno-botany – a
comparatively recent science – explicitly addresses the linkage between plant diversity
and cultural diversity, and the current emphasis on sustainable development has
prompted attempts to establish a dialogue between science and local traditional
knowledge, historically there has been a tendency to privilege metropolitan knowledge in
the interpretation of natural history (Parry, Trading the Genome, 2004; Endersby, ‘”From
having no Herbarium”,’ 2001; Burnett, ‘“It Is Impossible to Make a Step without the
Indians”,’ 2002). However, there is a vast amount of information on local people’s use of
plants hidden in the labels of herbarium and economic botany collections, notebooks etc,
much relatively ‘untapped’, recorded in some cases for economic reasons and in others
probably out of personal interest generated through the interaction between collectors
and their local assistants (even if this was not part of their original objectives). In some
cases, the way in which this has been recorded may shed light on the relationship
between metropolitan and local collectors, traders and indigenous peoples, and their
motivations (Fan, British Naturalists in Qing China, 2004).
The proposed research also has a crucial methodological component, involving work
across different kinds of materials and collections, from artefacts and herbarium
specimens to manuscripts and published works. The projects within this programme,
including the proposed collaborative doctoral studentship, are designed to stimulate new
ways of thinking about the botanical archive which will also have practical applications
within the educational and exhibition programmes of Kew and other bodies. In relation to
the latter, it is envisaged that ‘Cross-cultural histories of tropical botany in Latin America’
will specifically highlight aspects of Kew’s collections that shed light on the ways in which
British scientific naturalism did not stop at the colonial and imperial boundaries, but
expanded along the legal, political, and economic apparatuses of the informal empire.
Aims and Objectives
1. To explore the role of cross-cultural exchanges in the development of tropical
botany.
2. To illuminate the methodological challenges posed by the idea of researching
through and integrating different kinds of materials held by the different
repositories: the library, manuscript archives, herbarium, and economic botany
collections.
3. To unearth histories of ethno-botany and economic botany in Latin America by
conducting in-depth research using the Kew collections.
4. To provide theoretical frameworks and empirical case-studies which will be of
use in Kew’s educational and community outreach projects, including an online
exhibition provisionally scheduled for the end of 2009, on the occasion of Kew’s
250th anniversary.
Contexts
Cross-cultural histories of natural history. The vibrancy of this intellectual field reflects
new thinking in the history of science, imperial history, visual and material culture,
anthropology, gender studies and postcolonial writing. However, while there has been
significant criticism of orthodox histories of natural history, especially those which
perpetuate a one-way power relationship in which European science developed
independently of local knowledge and circumstances, there have been relatively few
localized analyses of cross-cultural exchanges placed in a broad spatio-temporal context
(N. Thomas, Entangled Objects, 1991). There is a need for a more considered treatment
of the intertwining and dynamic nature of different social-historical constellations in the
cultural histories of natural history, embracing a wider range of contexts than that usually
considered. In their various trajectories, the natural history objects collected were
subjected to different regimes of viewing and understanding within colonial, national,
local and personal histories (Appadurai, The Social Life of Things, 1988). Fragments and
glimpses of these stories may be found across the wide range of the Kew collections – in
the making of the herbarium, the manuscript accounts (letters, diaries and field-books) of
plant collectors, the writing and illustrating of books, in the material culture of economic
botany, and the taking of photographs. One challenging task will be to provide a context
in which these fragments can be brought together in a bigger picture. In particular, the
project aims to reveal histories of ethno-botany and economic botany in Latin America
that have so far remained silent within the British archive.
Institutional context. The research enables new questions to be asked of an
extraordinary set of collections accumulated through Kew’s long history of direct and
indirect involvement in botanical research and exploration in Latin America. These
collections were acquired since 1841, under the Directors William Hooker and his son,
Joseph Hooker, when scientific research expanded and Kew became essential to the
developing Empire. Of particular significance in this respect are the collections amassed
by William Burchell, Richard Spruce, Robert Shomburgk, Alfred Russel Wallace, and
Everard Ferdinand Im Thurn during the nineteenth century. Because these tropical
South American collections constitute an unparalleled resource that is not replicated in
any other institution, Kew is uniquely placed to make important research contributions in
this area. While the living collections are the foundation of Kew’s capacity to attract and
inform the visiting public, the documentary and visual reference collections yield a
treasure trove of insights into cross-cultural histories of natural history. The proposed
doctoral project will provide an exciting opportunity for intellectually insightful research,
building links between the humanities and the scientific work of Kew.
Sources, methods and timetable
The primary source for the research will be the South American collections of the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew itself. Given the sheer range of these collections, which consist of
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herbarium specimens, artefacts, books, journals, pamphlets, letters, unpublished
manuscripts, plant portraits, photographs and prints, and Kew’s strategy to encourage
access by others, so as to maximise their use and increase their scientific, utilitarian and
conservation value by providing total access to behind-the-scenes collections, this offers
an excellent focus. Where necessary, materials will be located in other collections, such
as those held by the Natural History Museum, the Linnean Society, the Royal
Horticultural Society, and the Royal Geographical Society, for example.
Within the broad framework of the research programme, the student appointed will
undertake a review of recent inter-disciplinary debates surrounding the historiography of
natural history, colonialism, anthropology, material culture, and visual culture; develop
strategies of researching through and integrating the different collections that comprise
the metropolitan archive of natural history; select specific case studies, unearthing
examples of cross-cultural exchanges in the development of tropical botany; write
working papers, eventually leading to the thesis itself; and prepare a contribution to a
proposed online exhibition (in collaboration with the supervisors), to be incorporated into
Birkbeck’s
Ibero-American
Museum
of
Visual
Culture
on
the
web
(http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ibamuseum), already operating as part of the new Centre for
Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS). The choice of case studies and the
balance struck between use of artefacts, books, journals, unpublished manuscripts, plant
portraits, photographs, prints and other collections will depend largely on the particular
aptitudes and preferences of the student appointed. However, an initial survey by the
lead academic supervisor in consultation with Kew’s curators suggests that a focus on
useful plants – such as cinchona, rubber, curare, cacao and timber – will yield
particularly fruitful insights. This project will be situated in the context of the larger
research programme, which will also involve a series of workshops in which the student
will participate.
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

2008-9 – Extensive review of key literature on the relationship between
colonialism, science and representation. Identification of relevant case studies
and research questions on the basis of literature review and archival holdings.
The student will present his/her preliminary findings and proposals in an informal
workshop, and an annual review.
2009-10 – Detailed analysis of identified materials; finalisation of the format of
the thesis and case studies; online exhibition on ‘Cross-cultural histories of
tropical botany in Latin America’ (working title); annual review.
2010-11 – Writing up and submission of the thesis; the third year coincides with
the organization of a workshop in collaboration with supervisors on ‘From local to
universal knowledge’, to which curators and academics will be invited.
Outcomes
1. Doctoral thesis (submitted by the end of Year 3);
2. Online exhibition on ‘Cross-cultural histories of tropical botany in Latin America’
(Year 2);
3. A series of working papers, providing the basis for discussion with supervisors
and Kew staff, a conference paper and drafts for thesis chapters (Years 1-3);
4. Contribution to a workshop on ‘From local to universal knowledge’ to be held at
Kew (Year 3);
5. Post-doctoral publications, including scholarly articles and contribution to a book.
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Special Features
Birkbeck’s Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies was
awarded a maximum ‘best 5*’ in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, which
marks our research as being of international standing. Birkbeck will provide the student
with language support, computing facilities and access to research databases. The
student will have access to all relevant libraries and archives of the University of London.
The student will be expected to participate in events organized by the Centre for Iberian
and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS), which aims to foster and promote
innovative debates in the history and theory of visual forms, both in the specific context
of the Latin American and Iberian image-world and beyond. The School Research
Forum for Culture and Communication provides research training through the year and
holds a lecture series given by international experts.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew gives the student a full induction into the Library, Art
and Archives (LA&A) collections and introduction to the relevant staff, providing the
student with a clear understanding of the workings of the collection and department. The
student will also meet the educational, outreach and exhibition staff. If possible, the
student will attend the official Kew induction programme, which will enable the student to
gain an overview of the workings of Kew, although this will be dependent on timing of the
placement. In addition to access to Kew’s collections, the student will receive expert
instruction in the use and handling of these collections and their finding aids,
bibliographical training, Intellectual Property advice and an insight into the workings and
management of an internationally important collection. The student will also be able to
tap into the knowledge and experience of the expert staff at Kew.
The time spent working with Kew’s collections will allow the student to gain an
understanding of the principles of organization and arrangement of archival and museum
collections, as well as a comprehensive knowledge of the botanical collections and the
context of their creation.
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