We present our plans for a collaborative research project that consists of two intertwined elements: a new English on-line edition and translation of Carl Linnaeus’s diary of a journey through Lapland undertaken in 1732, and a re-tracking of that journey. We envisage a novel methodology of scholarly edition, in which translation and re-tracking work in tandem as catalysts of public discourse. One of the principal subjects Linnaeus enquired about, and took note of, was how natural resources and ways of life contributed to the well-being of local populations. In particular, he exalted Sámi culture as a model of healthy life, while also promoting its colonization. But he also was on a guided tour, eagerly collecting information provided by people that were on the move as well, usually spoke more than one language, hosted him and helped him find his way. The diary therefore provides a window on past practices of generating biomedical knowledge at the intersection of diverse cultures and touches on issues that are of contemporary relevance as well, ranging from sustainability and wellbeing to indigeneity and sovereignty. The presentation will build on results from a project piloting the methodology on trips to Sámi areas in 2019 and 2020 and more information on the research can be found on the project website: https://linnaeus-in-lapland.net/
Staffan Müller-Wille is Professor in History and Philosopohy of the Life Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His research covers the history of the life sciences from the early modern period to the early twentieth century, with a focus on the history of natural history, anthropology, and genetics. Publications include "Names and Numbers: ‘Data’ in Classical Natural History, 1758–1859" (Osiris 32, 2017), and more recently, "Hospitality and Knowledge: Linnaeus’s hosts on his Laplandic Journey (1732)" (Social Research 89, 2022).
Elena Isayev's work focuses on ancient historical and current migration, hospitality, displacement and civic memberships, which she has explored inMigration Mobility and Place in Ancient Italy(2017), People Out of Place: Mediating Sovereignty and Power, Past and Present (forthcoming),Displacement and the Humanities (2023) – as co-editor with Evan Jewell. As well as in collaboration with Staffan Mueller-Wille ‘Hospitality and Knowledge: Linnaeus’s hosts on his Laplandic Journey (1732)’, (Social Research 89, 2022). She is currently leading Imagining Futures through Un/Archived Pasts project (AHRC-UK), and is Professor of Ancient History and Place at University of Exeter, UK.
The Instructing Colonial Natural History Seminar Series is organised by the Instructing Natural History Research Group, Uppsala University
To register for the Zoom link, please email instructingnaturalhistory@uu.se
Image credit: Staffan Müller-Wille