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Lecture – From the Spanish Royal Court to the White House: Humboldt’s visit to the US in spring of 1804
Wed. May. 30, 2018 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm
You are cordially invited to a free lecture by Sandra Rebok, Ph.D, on Wednesday, May 30 at 7:00pm in the German Society’s Horner Memorial Library. This lecture discusses Alexander von Humboldt’s position between the declining Spanish empire and the rising American nation at the time of his visit to the United States in the spring of 1804.
What were the reasons for adding this visit to the US after having travelled through the Spanish colonies for five years? What role did Philadelphia play for Humboldt during his six-week stay in this country?
It analyzes the delicate balance the Humboldt struck between science and politics: the way he made use of the political connections offered by Jefferson’s cabinet on the one hand and monarchical Spain on the other, while they, in turn, used his scientific work for strategic purposes. Finally, it discusses the information Humboldt provided to the US government and the usefulness of these documents for Jefferson’s vision for the West at the time.
Sandra Rebok’s research experience over the last twenty years has been concentrated in the field of the history of science, with particular emphasis on scientific expeditions in the 19th century, Humboldtian studies, Atlantic history, intellectual and cultural history, as well as the analysis of networks of knowledge in an international context. Rebok started her academic training in Germany, where she studied first Social Pedagogy in Darmstadt, followed by Sociology and Anthropology in Heidelberg. In order to obtain a broader view of her fields, she spent one year at the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Madrid, Spain, and another year at the École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. In 2004 she completed her PhD at the University of Heidelberg, with a dissertation on the image Alexander von Humboldt created and distributed of Spain and Spanish science created and disseminated by Alexander von Humboldt and on the reception of his work within Spanish intellectual and political circles.
What were the reasons for adding this visit to the US after having travelled through the Spanish colonies for five years? What role did Philadelphia play for Humboldt during his six-week stay in this country?
It analyzes the delicate balance the Humboldt struck between science and politics: the way he made use of the political connections offered by Jefferson’s cabinet on the one hand and monarchical Spain on the other, while they, in turn, used his scientific work for strategic purposes. Finally, it discusses the information Humboldt provided to the US government and the usefulness of these documents for Jefferson’s vision for the West at the time.
Sandra Rebok’s research experience over the last twenty years has been concentrated in the field of the history of science, with particular emphasis on scientific expeditions in the 19th century, Humboldtian studies, Atlantic history, intellectual and cultural history, as well as the analysis of networks of knowledge in an international context. Rebok started her academic training in Germany, where she studied first Social Pedagogy in Darmstadt, followed by Sociology and Anthropology in Heidelberg. In order to obtain a broader view of her fields, she spent one year at the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Madrid, Spain, and another year at the École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. In 2004 she completed her PhD at the University of Heidelberg, with a dissertation on the image Alexander von Humboldt created and distributed of Spain and Spanish science created and disseminated by Alexander von Humboldt and on the reception of his work within Spanish intellectual and political circles.
All of our events are open to the public.
We welcome members and non-members alike.
We welcome members and non-members alike.