Sex, Botany, and Empire by Patricia Fara
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
Sex, Botany, and Empire by Patricia Fara
This book came out in 2004, and the subtitle is The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks.
Fara said,
Banks provided a marvelous illustration of how science and the British Empire grew rich and powerful together.
Imagine a world where botany and empire collide in a scandalous tango.
Patricia Fara's book is a fascinating dive into the seedy underbelly of 18th-century botanical exploration.
It's a tale of two men - Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who revolutionized plant classification, and Joseph Banks, the British botanist and explorer who helped shape the British Empire.
Beneath the veneer of scientific inquiry, these men were driven by a desire for power, control, and, yes, a little bit of scandalous fun. Linnaeus's groundbreaking sexual classification system for plants was met with outrage and accusations of obscenity. Meanwhile, Banks's adventures in Tahiti, complete with tales of stolen trousers and encounters with the queen, added fuel to the fire of botanical scandal.
But it's not all about the salacious details.
Fara reveals how these men used botany as a tool of empire, collecting and controlling resources to bolster Britain's global dominance. Their work laid the foundation for the modern relationship between science and the state, a connection that continues to shape our world today.
This book is a captivating exploration of the intersection of science, sex, and power. It's a must-read for anyone interested in history, botany, or the complex relationship between humans and the natural world.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.
