Visions of Empire

Richly illustrated 1996 collection on how Pacific plants and peoples were depicted by European explorers.

Originally published in 1996, Visions of Empire examines the discovery of Pacific lands by European travellers, focusing on how plants and peoples were depicted, and revealing how botany and natural history were shaped by imperial, political and cultural frameworks.This 1996 collection examines the discovery of plants and peoples of the Pacific in the eighteenth century by European scientists and travellers. The contributors conceptualise the process of discovery, which involved active cultural solutions to problems of representation, rather than mere collection and passive depiction. These solutions both reflected and created visions of empire. Studies of the voyages of Banks and Cook investigate their mobilisation of resources. Other essays examine the economic and theological roots of Linnaeus's natural history, and the importance of the sexual system of classification in ideas of human nature and social order. Visions of Empire also tackles the cultural roots of botanical representations and the interpretations of encounters with other peoples. Its interdisciplinary approach maps out a more sophisticated understanding of representations of nature and society.