
Commemorating Darwin
Scientific Memory and the Politics of Evolution
University of Pittsburgh Press
Will be published approx. on 6. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
360 pages
978-0-8229-6828-3 (ISBN)
Description
Since Charles Darwin's death in 1882, people across the world have used forms of commemoration and memorialization to celebrate, and at times critique, various aspects of Darwin's scientific, social, and cultural impact. Commemorative events, activities, and publications marking major anniversaries of Darwin's birth and death, of the publication of On the Origin of Species (1859) and other works, and of the Beagle voyage, have been occasions for the casting and recasting of narratives of the history of evolutionary science, spurs to new historical research, and episodes in the public legitimation of contemporary scientific developments. They have engendered much discussion and debate about relations between evolution and religious belief as well as political questions related to issues of nation-building and social development. This volume examines these commemorative activities in global perspective, exploring the complexity of meanings of Darwin and his science to different social, cultural, scientific, and national groups, from the moment of Darwin's death up to the recent sesquicentennial of The Descent of Man (1871) in 2021.
Reviews / Votes
The eleven essays in Commemorating Darwin are well written, informative, and varied in their portrayals. They are also refreshingly original: Each author takes a different approach depending on their topic, and the final result provides the reader a new understanding of just how Darwin's scientific work impacted a wide range of societies across the world. -- Marsha Richmond, Wayne State University Joel Barnes, Ian Hesketh, and their colleagues press us to think seriously about the politics of the act of remembering. Revisiting key Darwin-related anniversaries, they show us that, in every instance, the celebrants created a moral meaning of 'Darwin' and 'Darwinism' that spoke to social, political, and cultural anxieties specific to their own time and place. They thus underline the contingent and creative nature of cultural memory. -- Piers J. Hale, University of Oklahoma From Darwin's day to our own, remembrance of him has been a complex, culturally potent business. Commemorating Darwin examines that business on a thrillingly global scale, exposing the intertwining scientific, religious, and political agendas at play whenever and wherever the man and his legacies have been memorialized. A landmark volume. -- Gregory Radick, University of LeedsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Pittsburgh PA
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
30 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-8229-6828-3 (9780822968283)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Joel Barnes (Editor)
Joel Barnes is honorary research fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland.
Ian Hesketh (Editor)
Ian Hesketh is associate professor of history in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland.
Joel Barnes is honorary research fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland.
Ian Hesketh (Editor)
Ian Hesketh is associate professor of history in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland.
Editor
Australia Research Council Future Fellow
Afterword