Navigating between Science and Politics: Humboldt and Early Science Diplomacy

As part of our 25th anniversary celebration this year, American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation launched a “New Perspectives on Humboldt” event series to put a spotlight on aspects of Humboldt’s legacy that are not well known but appeal to Humboldt experts and newcomers alike.
The inaugural event of the series featured a lecture by renowned Humboldt expert and author Sandra Rebok.
Alexander von Humboldt’s nearness to the political world has led to a broad array of criticism and misinterpretations: while some saw him as ideological leader of the Spanish American independence movement, others took him as being yet another imperial explorer; while some saw in him an agent for the Spanish Crown, others criticize him for acting as a spy for President Jefferson. Humboldt’s skillful navigation between both worlds has attracted much attention, however, how he managed to further his own scientific agenda by connecting it to political power requires in-depth exploration.
Humboldt expert Sandra Rebok sees Humboldt as an early advocate of science diplomacy: He knew that he needed to go beyond scholarly circles to turn his science into applicable knowledge to benefit society. He reached out to politicians, diplomats, policymakers, and practitioners to further scientific and technological progress and skillfully connected disparate interests. Dr. Rebok presented a nuanced picture of Humboldt based on almost three decades of research in the field both in Europe and America. She also addressed recently growing polarization, showing the ways that new perspectives on Humboldt are also relevant also in today’s discourse in science, politics, and society.
Dr. Sandra Rebok is a fellow at the Center for US-Mexican Studies at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego

[@EURAXESSNorthAmerica]

Dr. Rebok is a great speaker-thank you!

[@allenhjelmfelt2701]

Thank you for posting. I wish I had been there. She talked about how he absorbed some ideas from those he worked with. I would have asked her what we know about what we know about how he influenced the thinking of the people with whom he worked in the Americas.