Recording nature and writing the self: time, entomology and the archive in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
This project draws on East Anglia’s remarkable entomology collections and archives, which hold exceptional potential for humanities research. The region is of current and historical national significance for entomology because of its historically diverse habitats, yet has also suffered one of the highest levels of habitat change in the UK. Its insect collections are therefore unique datasets for tracing biodiversity shifts over time. The project examines how specimens are intertwined with the documents created by their collectors—a form of “life writing.” Because insects are small, diverse and abundant, collectors could build large collections and long time-series of specimens, and correspondingly rich written records. These include notebooks, labels, publications, annotated books, diaries and correspondence. Together, these materials form an insect archive that reveals evolving relationships between people and insects. The student will develop their own research questions, with wide scope to choose focus areas, periods, taxa and documentary forms.
For more info see: https://www.ccc.cam.ac.uk/
