Captivity's Collections: Science, Natural History, and the British Transatlantic Slave Trade

During the eighteenth century, the British transatlantic slave trade facilitated the circulation of individuals, objects, and ideas, leading to an explosion of new natural knowledge. Plants, seeds, preserved animals, and insects were gathered by British slave ship surgeons, mariners, and traders and displayed in British museums and herbaria. Captivity's Collections reveals the scientific and natural historical profit derived from these activities and the role of specimens gathered along the routes of the slave trade on emerging ideas in natural history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 17 October 2023
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

In the eighteenth century, a remarkable exchange occurred as specimens from far-flung corners of the Atlantic were transported onboard inhumane British slaving vessels. These specimens, originating from regions such as Africa's Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Veracruz, and Jamaica, were carefully collected and stored aboard these ships. Kathleen S. Murphy argues that the era's explosion of new natural knowledge was intricately linked to the movement of individuals, objects, and ideas through the networks of the British transatlantic slave trade. Plants, seeds, preserved animals and insects, and various other specimens were gathered by British slave ship surgeons, mariners, and traders at slaving factories in West Africa, in ports where captive Africans disembarked, and near the British South Sea Company's trading factories in Spanish America. These specimens were then showcased in British museums and herbaria, depicted in published natural histories, and discussed in the halls of scientific societies.

Captivity's Collections, a groundbreaking work of scholarship, delves deep into the intricate world of the slave trade's collecting operations. Through extensive archival research on both sides of the Atlantic, the book uncovers the vast scope of these endeavors. It meticulously examines scientific treatises, slaving company records, naturalists' correspondence, and museum catalogs to provide a comprehensive account of the trade's collecting operations. The book sheds light on the scientific and natural historical profits derived from these activities and the significant role that specimens gathered along the routes of the slave trade played in shaping emerging ideas in natural history.

The exchange of specimens not only facilitated scientific research but also played a crucial role in fostering cultural connections and understanding. The specimens brought back from distant lands were studied and admired by naturalists, scientists, and collectors, leading to a greater appreciation of the natural world and its diversity. They also helped to bridge the gap between different cultures and promote a shared knowledge of the natural world, despite the oppressive conditions of slavery.

Captivity's Collections is a valuable contribution to the field of history, shedding light on the complex relationship between science, commerce, and slavery in the eighteenth century. It provides a rich and detailed account of the collecting operations that shaped the scientific and natural historical knowledge of the time and highlights the importance of preserving and studying these specimens for future generations.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469675909