Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MIGKNOW (Migrating Knowledge: The Global Knowledge Networks of German Medic, Botanist and Migration Commissioner Wilhelm Hillebrand in Hawai‘i (1821-1886))
Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2023-04-30
MIGKNOW was a 2-year Marie Curie Individual Fellowship in global history funded by the European Commission from 2021-2023 and based at the University of Cologne in Germany. The fundamental issue addressed was the global legacy of European scientific travelers in the nineteenth century, which was explored through the specific case study of Wilhelm Hillebrand, a German botanist and medic who played a pivotal role in the development of a plantation complex in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i during the mid 1800s. MIGKNOW studied Hillebrand and his global network of correspondents to gain new insights into the role of European scientists in the global expansion of plantations, their forms of labor, and their forms of knowledge during the nineteenth century. The overall objectives of the project were to study the history of 19th-century labour migration from the perspective of overlapping transnational knowledge network; to reframe the relationship between colonial migration and colonial science by focusing on how diverse types of knowledge were exchanged, deployed, pursued, or combined in pursuit of extensive long-distance migration after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade; and to link the study of colonial science and knowledge networks with the history of plantations.
The importance of this project for society arises in its inquiry of the historical effects of scientists and its investigation of the historical legacies of European colonial networks. Crucially, the site of the case study in the action—Hawai‘i—was not a formal European colony during the period, but rather an independent Kingdom which was annexed by the United States in 1898. The project thus developed insights into the historical effects of European scientific mobility in the nineteenth century beyond formal empires. A key conclusion of the action was the centrality of the exchanges of knowledges between diverse actors in the development of the modern plantation complex: including scientists, medical doctors, indigenous actors, and laborer migrants. MIGKNOW thus stimulated new insights into historical study of plantations and the history of science, and, more broadly, the relationship between the history of labor and scientific expertise.
The importance of this project for society arises in its inquiry of the historical effects of scientists and its investigation of the historical legacies of European colonial networks. Crucially, the site of the case study in the action—Hawai‘i—was not a formal European colony during the period, but rather an independent Kingdom which was annexed by the United States in 1898. The project thus developed insights into the historical effects of European scientific mobility in the nineteenth century beyond formal empires. A key conclusion of the action was the centrality of the exchanges of knowledges between diverse actors in the development of the modern plantation complex: including scientists, medical doctors, indigenous actors, and laborer migrants. MIGKNOW thus stimulated new insights into historical study of plantations and the history of science, and, more broadly, the relationship between the history of labor and scientific expertise.
Extensive research for MIGKNOW was conducted using digital and physical historical archives and repositories, including those in Hawai‘i, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany. Through the case study of Wilhelm Hillebrand, exciting new insights were gained into the role of knowledge in the global history of plantation colonialism, including in contexts beyond direct European overrule. Results include an international symposium held on the topic of “Plantation Knowledge” in Cologne in June 2022; 9 authored or co-authored peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters; an edited volume based on the “Plantation Knowledge” workshop; 2 outreach pieces in digital venues beyond scientific publications; 4 outreach activities; and participation at 9 academic conferences or workshops.
MIGKNOW provides keys for new directions in the state of the art in the fields of the global history of the plantations and the history of knowledge. These insights are operationalized particularly in the upcoming edited volume entitled “Plantation Knowledge,” which is currently under review at a major university press. MIGKNOW likewise provided new perspectives beyond the state of the art for assessing the history of colonization in Hawai‘i beyond the framework of national empires, including the role of non-American actors in colonization processes. The potential societal impact of the project rests in heightened understanding of the history of European scientific travelers, the co-produced character of botanical knowledge, and the complex legacies of the nineteenth-century world.