MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

The Social History of Natural History: Reading Arthur Loveridge as a Travel Narrative Case Study

Michelle Tang
Curatorial Assistant
Invertebrate Zoology

Just as natural history museum collections provide a historical context to modern scientific studies, so too are they indicative of the historical activities and sociopolitical events that shaped the field of natural history. Within these rich biodiversity holdings are products of social injustices, racial disparities, and exploitative colonial practices. As we examine the stories that lay behind the specimens on our shelves, we facilitate thoughtful ethical stewardship, improve curatorial best practices, and contextualize the research we conduct today.

MCZ Curator of Herpetology from 1924 to 1957, British herpetologist Arthur Loveridge (1891–1980) made considerable contributions to the curation and expansion of the Department of Herpetology – not to mention the tens of thousands of specimens that he collected across all seven MCZ extant collections. Among his many publications, his memoirs recount his childhood, his time in East Africa as a curator of the Nairobi Museum and World War I soldier, and his subsequent expeditions to Africa. As travel narratives, these memoirs serve as a case study to observe and analyze the ideas and collection practices prevalent among Western naturalists during the 19th and 20th centuries.