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SUMMARY:Linnaeus and the Troglodyte: Natural History and Europe's Encounte
 r with Human Diversity in the Eighteenth Century - Dr Christina Skott\, Di
 rector of Studies in History &amp\; Tutor\, Wolfson College\; College Lect
 urer &amp\; Director of Studies in History\, Magdalene College\; Affiliate
 d Lecturer\, Faculty of History
DTSTART:20111026T120000Z
DTEND:20111026T130000Z
UID:TALK34107@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:ed299
DESCRIPTION:This paper sets out to discuss how early modern European expan
 sion informed\nEnlightenment debates about the relationship between man an
 d beast\, and\nconsequently fed emerging theories of race. The paper takes
  as a case study\nthe classification of humans in the tenth edition of Car
 l Linnaeus' Systema\nNaturae (1758)\, which in many ways was an entirely n
 ew work: the term Homo\nsapiens was now used for the first time\, but in a
 ddition Linnaeus proposed\ntwo entirely new species of humans\, named Homo
  caudatus and Homo\ntroglodytes\, both of which were said to reside in Sou
 theast Asia. The idea\nthat humankind could be divided into several specie
 s caused considerable\ncontroversy\, and these curious beings soon had to 
 be abandoned\; historians\nof science have explained them through prevaili
 ng European dependence on\nthe ancient 'marvels of the East'\, misundersta
 ndings\, superstition\, and\nLinnaeus' uncritical belief in 'travel lies'.
 \n\nThis paper takes a fresh look at the origins of these species of human
 s\, by\ntracing Linnaeus' sources back to early modern Southeast Asia. Her
 e\, a new\nscene opens up\, revealing complex knowledge networks involving
  Swedish\nvisitors to the East-Indies\, but also internal 'othering'\, int
 er-ethnic\ntensions and the power of local beliefs. One of the keys to Lin
 naeus'\ncreation of the Homo troglodytes\, I argue\, is to be found in the
  ambivalent\nrelationship between Southeast Asia's coastal peoples and the
  inhabitants\nof the interior\, thus reflecting the ethnic duality which i
 s a prominent\ntheme in the history of the region. The paper\, therefore\,
  revisits\ndiscussions about the origins and dissemination of knowledge of
  the world\,\nand highlights the often overlooked local circumstances gene
 rating the\ninformation which propelled European science in the eighteenth
  century.
LOCATION:Combination Room\, Wolfson College
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