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SUMMARY:Mexican science at the crossroads of French imperialism and Maximi
 lian's empire (1864–1867) - Luz Fernanda Azuela (Universidad Nacional Au
 tónoma de México)
DTSTART:20190513T120000Z
DTEND:20190513T130000Z
UID:TALK122869@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Laura Brassington
DESCRIPTION:Mexico\, which had been an independent nation since 1821\, suf
 fered a colonial takeover by the French between 1864 and 1867. During thes
 e years Mexican science was torn between the colonialist aims of the Napol
 eon III and the Hapsburg Empire of Maximilian that the French Intervention
  had enabled. Maximilian agreed with local scholars on the urgent need for
  scientific institutions that would foster practical research to support m
 aterial and cultural progress. His main objective was his régime's legiti
 mation. Napoleon III\, in contrast\, wanted to boost France's presence in 
 the Americas\, and restrain the expansionism of the United States. Both ag
 reed on the need to exploit Mexican resources by promoting natural history
 \, geography\, geology and medicine.\n\nLocal advances in those discipline
 s had been pursued for over three centuries\, a tradition of research prac
 tically unknown in Europe. This led to a distorted appreciation of Mexican
  scholarship and qualifications\, especially from the French Scientific Co
 mmission. Conversely\, Maximilian engaged with the local scientific commun
 ity on several projects\, whose excellence contradicted the French evaluat
 ion of their expertise.\n\nThis paper aims to explain the dismissal of Mex
 ican scientific capabilities by the invaders\, even when local insight and
  scholarship proved to be instrumental in achieving the foreigners' goals.
  It will also point out the asymmetric nature of the conditions in which t
 heir collaboration took place\, as an expression of imperial subjugation a
 nd eurocentrism. And it will echo Kapil Raj's statements on the reconfigur
 ation of 'existing knowledges and specialized practices on both sides of t
 he encounter'.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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