No. 116/2024

I ndisputably, Alexander von Humboldt’s name is ubiquitous in Latin America. The Prussian scholar is still of great importance for transatlantic cultural and academic relations to this day, especially in the regions he visited between 1799 and 1804 during his expedition to today’s Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. But he is no stranger in other parts of America that were not on his itinerary either. The wealth of knowledge about the New World that Humboldt bequeathed us in his many publications, his extensive correspondence, his natural history collections and precise cartographic work is impressive. In it, he drew attention to the social ills of the time and considered how they could be tackled. But how is Humboldt perceived in the countries of Latin America more than 200 years after his journey? What topics are linked to him? What are the positive associations he evokes and what are the rather more critical aspects? These were the questions asked in a 2019 study initiated by the Federal Foreign Office and ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen on the 250th anniversary of Was Alexander von Humboldt an instrument of colonialism or one of the intellectual fathers of the independence movement in Spanish-America? Neither, nor, says Sandra Rebok, historian of science and Humboldt expert. Text SANDRA REBOK the explorer’s birth. It emerged that there are, indeed, significant differences both regionally, and between intellectual circles and each country’s population at large. In summary, it can, however, be said that Humboldt’s scientific achievements are seen as positive across countries and classes. According to those taking part in the study, Humboldt had not only collected an impressive amount of scientific data in America but had also portrayed a humane image of the continent. For him, the so-called NewWorld was not only a place for scientific field research but also a region for which he campaigned in diverse ways. Humboldt drew on science to refute the opinion held by European philosophers at the time that it was an inferior HUMBOLDT BELONGS TO YOU, BUT HE ALSO BELONGS TO US Photo: Rudolf Ernst /Alamy FOCUS 18 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 116/2024