Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)

The nineteenth century witnessed the advent of the modern zoo. Nearly everyone who came to watch the exotic animals was a “lay person” in the sense that virtually none had formal training in zoology. This paper provides a typology of these observers: the zoo directors, assistants, keepers, animal pa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Hochadel, Oliver
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/85333
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/85333
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Modern zoo
Scientific investigation
Ecological thinking
Ethology
Natural history
Nineteenth-century
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spelling Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)Hochadel, OliverModern zooScientific investigationEcological thinkingEthologyNatural historyNineteenth-centuryThe nineteenth century witnessed the advent of the modern zoo. Nearly everyone who came to watch the exotic animals was a “lay person” in the sense that virtually none had formal training in zoology. This paper provides a typology of these observers: the zoo directors, assistants, keepers, animal painters, and the “common” visitor. What did they observe and what were their motivations? Did they pursue a certain agenda? What kind of knowledge, if any, did they produce? Soon the issue of the reliability of these observations emerged. Lay observers insisted on the veracity of their intimate and personal knowledge of animals while academics complained that their claims could not be generalized and were tainted by anthropomorphism. Hence the focus on the observations of these laymen will reveal contemporary assumptions on what may count as “scientific.” This is closely linked to the question of how far the zoo may qualify as a site of scientific investigation in the first place. The constraints on doing research on animals in a public space such as the zoo were numerous. Yet despite these obstacles the zoological garden contributed to the rise of ecological thinking as well as to the formation of ethology as a scientific discipline.Peer reviewedCambridge University Press201320132011info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501http://hdl.handle.net/10261/85333reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttp:/dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0269889711000068http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8258989info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/853332026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
title Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
spellingShingle Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
Hochadel, Oliver
Modern zoo
Scientific investigation
Ecological thinking
Ethology
Natural history
Nineteenth-century
title_short Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
title_full Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
title_fullStr Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
title_full_unstemmed Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
title_sort Watching Exotic Animals Next Door: “Scientific” Observations at the Zoo (ca. 1870–1910)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Hochadel, Oliver
author Hochadel, Oliver
author_facet Hochadel, Oliver
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Modern zoo
Scientific investigation
Ecological thinking
Ethology
Natural history
Nineteenth-century
topic Modern zoo
Scientific investigation
Ecological thinking
Ethology
Natural history
Nineteenth-century
description The nineteenth century witnessed the advent of the modern zoo. Nearly everyone who came to watch the exotic animals was a “lay person” in the sense that virtually none had formal training in zoology. This paper provides a typology of these observers: the zoo directors, assistants, keepers, animal painters, and the “common” visitor. What did they observe and what were their motivations? Did they pursue a certain agenda? What kind of knowledge, if any, did they produce? Soon the issue of the reliability of these observations emerged. Lay observers insisted on the veracity of their intimate and personal knowledge of animals while academics complained that their claims could not be generalized and were tainted by anthropomorphism. Hence the focus on the observations of these laymen will reveal contemporary assumptions on what may count as “scientific.” This is closely linked to the question of how far the zoo may qualify as a site of scientific investigation in the first place. The constraints on doing research on animals in a public space such as the zoo were numerous. Yet despite these obstacles the zoological garden contributed to the rise of ecological thinking as well as to the formation of ethology as a scientific discipline.
publishDate 2011
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2011
2013
2013
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
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dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/85333
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/85333
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http:/dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0269889711000068
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8258989
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cambridge University Press
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cambridge University Press
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
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repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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