Poles and People: Geographical Societies, Statehood, and Civil Society in Transnational Perspective (1870-1925)

This project investigates the foundation of statehood, science popularisation, and (trans)national cooperation with specific regard to the Polar Regions and “inner Africa”.

In the nineteenth century, geographical societies formed the institutional base for the rising field of geographical research.

Their foundation, mainly in European capitals, coincided with the growth of a civil society and the rise of imperial claims to power.

By simultaneously practicing and popularizing science, they developed a lasting impact on the exploration and public perception of formerly inaccessible environments such as the Arctic, Antarctica, and “inner Africa”.

However, the study of these “blank spots” followed not only political and economic interests, but also served sociocultural identity-building purposes and promised to provide scientific answers to questions of global interest such as climatology and ecology.The project will compare the geographical societies of four capitals: Brussels, Edinburgh, Oslo, and Vienna.

Societies in these cities considered the Polar Regions and/or “inner Africa” as major poles of geographical inquiry.

Sources including the understudied archival holdings of geographical societies will be brought together for qualitative and quantitative study.

Particular attention will be paid to (1) historical geographies in which research on the Polar Regions and Africa was practiced, networks of exchange established, and scholarship popularised; (2) the relationship between state governance and geographical societies in the context of national and imperial statehood; (3) interaction processes between science, geographical exploration, and the public sphere with regard to practitioners, field sites, and exchange formats involved.

Targeted dissemination and communication activities such the development and implementation of teaching materials will contribute to a higher degree of evidence-based self-reflection on global responsibility and colonial heritage.