Botanists, colonists and local knowledge of nature in South Africa

First of two episodes devoted to environmental history of South
Africa. South Africa is one of the most culturally and
ecologically diverse countries in the world. Different cultures
interpret and understand nature in different ways and that was
nowhere more visible than in colonial South Africa. In this
episode Elizabeth Green-Musselman, a historian of science,
explores how a hybridized knowledge of nature developed in the
cape colony blending local and European knowledge. The issues
discussed include the impact of European cultivation, conflicts
over natural resources and the role of naturalists in
conservation and what they learned from local guides during
botanical expeditions during the 18th and 19th centuries. The
podcast concludes with a brief consideration of the benefits of
the interactions and collaboration between environmental
historians and historians of science.


Websites mentioned in this podcast: Missing Link Podcast,
 African Environmental History