Scientists and Scholars in the Field: Studies in the History of Fieldwork and Expeditions

Abstract

This collection of essays is the result of a two-day conference that took place in Copenhagen in August 2008 that brought together scholars from the humanities and the history of science. The aim of the conference was to explore the history of fieldwork, cartography, and scientific exploration from a multidisciplinary perspective. The contributions to this work demonstrate the interdisciplinary fields of the conference's authors as well as their namesake society, the Danish Network for the History and Sociology of Fieldwork and Scientific Exploration. Opening with an introductory essay written by its editors, the volume contains 17 papers arranged chronologically covering the 17 th century to present-day expeditions. The case studies offer examples drawn from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America with a strong Nordic presence among its papers-taken in part from the location of the conference. True to its interdisciplinary label, this volume steps back from the direct study of research data and instead examines the collecting process in order to understand the practitioners and their impact on society and institutions. As a result, many of the essays focus on the identities of the scientists, as well as the public's perception of expeditions and their accompanying research. On the whole, each author shares the desire to reexamine the traditional discourse regarding fieldwork's 20 th-century origins. The first section, drawing on early modern research, includes case studies and uses historiographical comparisons to highlight the specific topics of study: anthropology, cartography, botany, and military history. Michael Harbsmeier's paper argues against the traditional narrative of anthropology's establishment in the 20 th century by highlighting the similar fieldwork practices found among two early modern German naturalists, Leonhard Raunwolf and Peter Kolb. Jeppe Strandsbjerg sketches Danish state cartographic projects and their various networks used to collect geographic data. Similar to Harbsmeier, Rengenier Rittersma's contribution highlights Luigi Ferdinando Marsili's prediscipline field research and his fascination with the origins of truffles, arguing for Marsili's recognition alongside Marcello Malpighi as examples of an 18 th-century ''proto'' field scientists. Meanwhile, Kasper Risbjerg Eskilden and Daniel E. Clinkman provide institutional focuses in their papers: the former centered on Dutch scientists' interactions with the Republic of Letters, and later exploring the Royal Society's partnership with the Royal Navy.