The Latin American Journeys of Alexander von Humboldt and Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira, with Margarita Rodriguez García
Historian Margarita Rodríguez discusses the travels of Alexander von Humboldt and Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira through Latin America in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly along the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. During these long journeys, both naturalists emphasized the importance of the knowledge possessed by indigenous peoples, on which they relied either to travel or to identify plants and their characteristics. The historian also explains the academic contexts of Humboldt and Rodrigues Ferreira’s projects, their perceptions of nature and its relationship with humans, the consequences of the presence of settlers in those territories, and their descriptions of the flora and fauna, particularly dolphins and turtles. The interview is conducted by Joana Rodrigues.
Margarita Eva Rodríguez García is a researcher at CHAM and a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain). She specializes in the history of the Spanish empires and colonial America, particularly 18th-century Peruvian political history and the history of women. Margarita Rodríguez holds a master’s degree in Latin American History and a Ph.D. in Modern History, and has carried out several postdoctoral projects at CHAM and the Macao Scientific and Cultural Center, funded by FCT.
In the next episode, Nina Vieira discusses the History of Animals in the ‘A Brief Introduction to…’ segment.
The theme tune for ‘CHAM Talks, a podcast for listening to science’ uses ‘Bike Sharing To Paradise’ by Dan Bordan (copyright-free).
COORDINATION
Isabel Araújo Branco (CHAM)
Organization
CHAM / NOVA FCSH
