Visions of Empire: Voyages, Botany, and Representations of Nature

by David Philip Miller (Editor), Peter Hanns Reill (Editor)

This 1996 collection examines the discovery of plants and peoples of the Pacific in the eighteenth century by European scientists and travellers. The contributors conceptualise the process of discovery, which involved active cultural solutions to problems of representation, rather than mere collection and passive depiction. These solutions both reflected and created visions of empire. Studies of the voyages of Banks and Cook investigate their mobilisation of resources. Other essays examine the economic and theological roots of Linnaeus's natural history, and the importance of the sexual system of classification in ideas of human nature and social order. Visions of Empire also tackles the cultural roots of botanical representations and the interpretations of encounters with other peoples. Its interdisciplinary approach maps out a more sophisticated understanding of representations of nature and society.

358 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 1996

Reviews

[Dyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulate, well-researched, multi-disciplinary set of essays on the relationship between colonialism, imperialism, empire and the "natural" world. Every single essay was fascinating - a great read.

[Shuhui Shen]

a combination of different approaches