A story of European hammers and Central Asian boulders : How a Swiss Museum Exhibits "High Asia"
Journal
Central Eurasian Studies Review : CESR
ISSN
1538-5043
ISSN-Digital
1543-7817
Type
newspaper article
Date Issued
2003
Author(s)
Abstract
The aim of the exhibition is to present the history, techniques, methodology, and results of the surveying of "High Asia." European scholars and travelers explored the ill-defined areas of the Himalayan kingdoms, Tibet, Xinjiang and Western China beginning in the Victorian era and continuing until World War II. National prestige was one of several goals in the scientific conquest of the heart of Asia. The systematic collecting of rock samples and fossils in the Pamirs, Himalayas and Taklamakan helped to change dramatically the understanding of our planet's geology and paleontology, and the discovery of the Silk Road civilizations has made us all aware of the significance of transcontinental exchange in Eurasia. This challenging topic is approached through an emphasis on the human aspects of scholarship instead of a more abstract institutional history. In order to avoid personality cults and nationalistic glorification of science, the scientific results have been placed within the context of contemporary scholarship over a wide range of disciplines from archaeology to geology, as represented in the work of scholars from the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The exhibition combines biographical descriptions with personal descriptions of fieldwork. Victor Jacquemont, the Schlagintweit brothers, Aurel Stein and Francis Younghusband may not need introductions. While the controversial Swedish geographer Sven Hedin is well known from his autobiography, the exhibit displays his meticulous maps and gorgeous drawings. The exhibit also includes less familiar figures such as the Swiss geologist Rudolf Wyss, the French diplomat Fernand Grenard, and the Italian medical doctor Filippo de Filippi.
Language
English
Keywords
History of geography
history of geology
Central Asia
fieldwork
scientific expeditions
museum exhibition
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Central Eurasian Studies Society
Publisher place
Cambridge, Mass.
Volume
2
Number
2
Start page
41
End page
42
Pages
2
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
215181