<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The career of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823‒1907) as director of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon) followed by the presidency of the Society of Geography of Lisbon is presented in this paper as an example of transfer of expertise between scientific fields, specifically from zoology to geography. Additionally, it explores the connection between scientific credit and political recognition, in the sense of the conflation of Bocage’s taxonomical and zoogeographical work with the colonial agenda of his time. Although Bocage himself never visited Africa, he was part of a generation of Africanists who were members of the Portuguese elite dedicated to African matters and considered exemplary custodians of the political and diplomatic Portuguese international position regarding its African territories.</p></abstract>

The career of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823‒1907) as director of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon) followed by the presidency of the Society of Geography of Lisbon is presented in this paper as an example of transfer of expertise between scientific fields, specifically from zoology to geography. Additionally, it explores the connection between scientific credit and political recognition, in the sense of the conflation of Bocage’s taxonomical and zoogeographical work with the colonial agenda of his time. Although Bocage himself never visited Africa, he was part of a generation of Africanists who were members of the Portuguese elite dedicated to African matters and considered exemplary custodians of the political and diplomatic Portuguese international position regarding its African territories.

Expert at a distance

CIUHCT ‒ Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia

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Barbosa du Bocage and the production of scientific knowledge on Africa

The career of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823‒1907) as director of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon)...

Expert at a distance

Published Online: Sep 01, 2017

Page range: 57 - 74

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/host-2017-0004

Keywords
Expertise, zoogeography, science and empire, Africa, nineteenth century

© 2017 Catarina Madruga, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Expert at a distance

Published Online: Sep 01, 2017

Page range: 57 - 74

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/host-2017-0004

KeywordsExpertise, zoogeography, science and empire, Africa, nineteenth century

© 2017 Catarina Madruga, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Expertise, zoogeography, science and empire, Africa, nineteenth century