In the same year in which Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published (1859), the German scientist and traveler Alexander von Humboldt died at the age of ninety. As Darwin was to dominate much of the life of science during the second half of the nineteenth century, so Von Humboldt had been an icon of science in the first half of the century. His contributions to the earth sciences, including physical geography and biogeography, as well as to natural history in general, were highly respected both in Europe and elsewhere. He also became famous for his explorations of Latin America and Russia, and the way in which he mingled scientific analysis and aesthetic description in his travel reports was highly attractive both to the scientist and the general reader. Especially his five-volume Kosmos (1845) was a brave attempt to unify the various branches of scientific knowledge in a form accessible to a wider public. Already in the beginning of his career, Von Humboldt, visited the Netherlands and during the rest of his long and productive life, he maintained close ties with this country. He fundamentally influenced the scientific policy of King William I, was instrumental in establishing research institutions in the Dutch East Indies and through the many translations of his book deeply influenced the way in which science was represented in the Netherlands. Studying the relationships of Van Humboldt with the Netherlands may therefore throw new light on an often neglected or misrepresented period in the history of science in the Netherlands.

Programme:

• 10.00 – 10.05
  Welcome
• 10.05 – 11.00 
  The many lifes of Alexander von Humboldt
  Keynote lecture by Nicolaas Rupke (Göttingen)
• 11.00 -  11.45
  Global science from a Dutch perspective: Dutch participation in 19th century Humboldtian networks
  Azadeh Achbari (Amsterdam/Utrecht)
• 11.45 – 12.30 
  Natural history in dispute: Humboldtian naturalists in the Netherlands Indies and their ‘alternative’ reading of nature, 1815 – 1850
  Andreas Weber (Leiden)
• 12. 30 – 13.30
  Lunch
• 13.30 – 14.15
  Buys Ballot as a Humboldtian scientist
  Frans van Lunteren (Leiden/Amsterdam)
• 14.15 – 15.00
  The portrayal of Von Humboldt in the images of science created in Dutch general periodicals of the late 19th century
  Barbara Allart (Utrecht)
• 15.00 – 15.30
  Break
• 15.30 – 16.15
  From Humboldt to Haeckel, His, and Hubrecht: the heritage of Humboldtian science in the Netherlands (Indies) around 1900
  Robert-Jan Wille (Nijmegen)
• 16.15 – 16.45
  General discussion

There is no charge for attendance of the symposium. As space is limited registration is essential. If you plan to attend the symposium please register with l.l.neervoort@rug.nl  before March 25th.

Location:
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Kloveniersburgwal 29
Amsterdam