The Ultimate “Other”: Post-Colonialism and Alexander von Humboldt's Ecological Relationship with Nature

This article is a meditation on the overlaps between environmentalism, post-colonial theory, and the practice of history. It takes as a case study the writings of the explorer-scientist-abolitionist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the founder of a humane, socially conscious ecology. The post-col...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sachs, Aaron 1969- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Wiley 2003
In: History and theory
Year: 2003, Volume: 42, Issue: 4, Pages: 111-135
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)

MARC

LEADER 00000naa a22000002 4500
001 1775917207
003 DE-627
005 20211102172217.0
007 cr uuu---uuuuu
008 211102s2003 xx |||||o 00| ||eng c
024 7 |a 10.1046/j.1468-2303.2003.00261.x  |2 doi 
035 |a (DE-627)1775917207 
035 |a (DE-599)KXP1775917207 
040 |a DE-627  |b ger  |c DE-627  |e rda 
041 |a eng 
084 |a 0  |a 1  |2 ssgn 
100 1 |e VerfasserIn  |0 (DE-588)171515749  |0 (DE-627)061724564  |0 (DE-576)132304368  |4 aut  |a Sachs, Aaron  |d 1969- 
109 |a Sachs, Aaron 1969-  |a Sachs, Aaron Jacob 1969- 
245 1 4 |a The Ultimate “Other”  |b Post-Colonialism and Alexander von Humboldt's Ecological Relationship with Nature 
264 1 |c 2003 
336 |a Text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a Computermedien  |b c  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a Online-Ressource  |b cr  |2 rdacarrier 
520 |a This article is a meditation on the overlaps between environmentalism, post-colonial theory, and the practice of history. It takes as a case study the writings of the explorer-scientist-abolitionist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the founder of a humane, socially conscious ecology. The post-colonial critique has provided a necessary corrective to the global environmental movement, by focusing it on enduring colonialist power dynamics, but at the same time it has crippled the field of environmental history, by dooming us to a model of the past in which all Euro-American elites, devoid of personal agency, are always already in an exploitative relationship with the people and natural resources of the developing world. A close reading of Humboldt's work, however, suggests that it could provide the basis for a healthy post-colonial environmentalism, if only post-colonial critics were willing to see beyond Humboldt's complicity in colonial structures. In particular, this article attempts to rehabilitate Humboldt's reputation in the face of Mary Louise Pratt's canonical post-colonial study, Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. Humboldt's efforts to inspire communion with Nature while simultaneously recognizing Nature's “otherness” can be seen as radical both in his day and in ours. In addition his analysis of the link between the exploitation of natural resources and the exploitation of certain social groups anticipates the global environmental justice movement. 
773 0 8 |i Enthalten in  |t History and theory  |d Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 1960  |g 42(2003), 4, Seite 111-135  |h Online-Ressource  |w (DE-627)271597585  |w (DE-600)1480747-6  |w (DE-576)07870815X  |x 1468-2303  |7 nnns 
773 1 8 |g volume:42  |g year:2003  |g number:4  |g pages:111-135 
856 4 0 |u https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-2303.2003.00261.x  |x Resolving-System  |z lizenzpflichtig  |3 Volltext 
856 4 0 |u https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1468-2303.2003.00261.x  |x Verlag  |z lizenzpflichtig  |3 Volltext 
936 u w |d 42  |j 2003  |e 4  |h 111-135 
951 |a AR 
ELC |a 1 
ITA |a 1  |t 1 
LOK |0 000 xxxxxcx a22 zn 4500 
LOK |0 001 3998540628 
LOK |0 003 DE-627 
LOK |0 004 1775917207 
LOK |0 005 20211102172048 
LOK |0 008 211102||||||||||||||||ger||||||| 
LOK |0 040   |a DE-Tue135  |c DE-627  |d DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 092   |o n 
LOK |0 852   |a DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 852 1  |9 00 
LOK |0 935   |a ixzs  |a ixzo  |a rwrk 
ORI |a SA-MARC-ixtheoa001.raw 
REL |a 1 
SUB |a REL