John Herschel's Cape Voyage: Private Science, Public Imagination and the Ambitions of Empire

by Ruskin,Steven

• ISBN13: 9780754635581
• ISBN10: 0754635589
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-03-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In John Herschel's Cape Voyage Steven Ruskin demonstrates that the reason for Herschel's widespread cultural renown was the popular notion that his voyage to the Cape was not simply an objective scientific expedition, but was a project closely aligned with the imperial ambitions of the British government. In 1833 Herschel sailed from London to Cape Town, southern Africa, to undertake an astronomical exploration of the southern heavens, as well as a terrestrial exploration of the area around Cape Town. As a result of his voyage, after his return to England in 1838 he was highly esteemed and became Britain's most recognized man of science. In this new examination of Herschel's voyage, Ruskin reaches a better understanding of the relationship of scientific practice to the broader aspects of imperial culture and politics in the nineteenth century.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	vi
Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	ix
PART I: HERSCHEL'S CAPE VOYAGE
1 Recasting Herschel's Cape Voyage: Filial Duty vs. Humboldtian Traveling	3	(34)
2 The Politics of Herschel's Cape Voyage	37	(38)
3 Appropriating Astronomy: Herschel's Cape Observations, Real and Imagined	75	(30)
PART II: THE PRODUCTION OF THE CAPE RESULTS
4 The Cape Results: Preparation and Publication	105	(50)
5 The Cape Results: Distribution and Reception	155	(36)
PART III: CONCLUSION
6 Herschel, Icon	191	(14)
Appendix 1: Herschel, Poetry, and Science	205	(6)
Appendix 2	211	(2)
Bibliography	213	(14)
Index	227