In the West at the turn of the twentieth century, public understanding of science and the world was shaped in part by expeditions to Asia, North America, and the Pacific. The Anthropology of Expeditions draws together contributions from anthropologists and historians of science to explore the role of these journeys in natural history and anthropology between approximately 1890 and 1930. By examining collected materials as well as museum and archive records, the contributors to this volume shed light on the complex social life and intimate work practices of the researchers involved in these expeditions. At the same time, the contributors also demonstrate the methodological challenges and rewards of studying these legacies and provide new insights for the history of collecting, history of anthropology, and histories of expeditions. Offering fascinating insights into the nature of expeditions and the human relationships that shaped them, The Anthropology of Expeditions sets a new standard for the field.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Anthropology of Expeditions
Erin L. Hasinoff and Joshua A. Bell
1. Science as Adventure
Henrika Kuklick
Part One Travel and Assemblage
2. A Most Singular and Solitary Expeditionist: Berthold Laufer Collecting China
Laurel Kendall
3. Adventurers: Race, Love, and the Transmutation of Souls in Joseph Rock’s Arnold Arboretum Expedition to Gansu
Erik Mueggler
Part Two Visualities
4. In the Field/ En Plein Air: The Art of Anthropological Display at the American Museum of Natural History, 1905–30
Ira Jacknis
5. Sculpting the Network: Recognizing Marguerite Milward’s Sculptural Legacy
Mark Elliott
Part Three Afterlives and Reassemblage
6. The Sticky Afterlives of “Sweet” Things: Performances and Silences of the 1928 USDA Sugarcane Expedition Collections
Joshua A. Bell
7. The Unexpected Afterlives of Himalayan Collections: From Data Cemetery to Web Portal
Mark Turin
Afterword
Chris Gosden
Contributors
Index