As remains, traces or impressions of extinct species, fossils represent one of the rare sources o... more As remains, traces or impressions of extinct species, fossils represent one of the rare sources of information enabling us to investigate and reconstruct the history of our planet. From this perspective, fossils are rightfully considered as “archives of the Earth”. Starting in the early nineteenth century, the study of fossils became systematic, especially in France, Great Britain, and the United States. Through new methodologies and disciplines, such as comparative anatomy and paleontological stratigraphy, fossils from less or more distant regions of the globe could be compared, reconstructed, and rearranged. It is in large part on this scientific work, which began more than two centuries ago, that the modern understanding of geological time relies. The historiography of geology and paleontology has traditionally been interested in explaining the evolution of practices, institutions, and concepts, which made it possible for fossils to acquire their value as archives.
Fossils as Archives of Territories aims at revisiting the history of the archiving of fossils in the nineteenth century by taking a different path focusing less on epistemological than on political questions. If fossils have been documents providing access to the Earth’s past, they also have an irreducible relation to the lands and undergrounds in which they are found. Hence, the history of the transformation of fossils into archives of the Earth should also be able to investigate how this transformation articulated itself with the definition of territories, both national and colonial. While fossils were becoming the archives on which the scientific study of the geological past relies, they also represented a wealth of precious information affecting the perception and governance of various spaces. By approaching fossils as “archives of territories”, this dissertation elucidates how the archiving of fossils is as connected to the reconstruction of the Earth’s past as it is to issues surrounding territories.
Fossils as Archives of Territories is organized in four parts. The first one consists in a methodological step back. It demonstrates the necessity of integrating the plurality of relations that humans have been and are still having with fossils to understand how, since the nineteenth century, the archiving of fossils has played a historical role exceeding the sole history of Earth sciences. The second part of this dissertation shows the different ways the archiving of fossils, in France, Great Britain, and the United States, contributed to the definition of territories in economic, aesthetic, and geopolitical terms. The third part focuses on the transformation, through various mediums, of fossils into strategic objects and sources of information not only for the study of the geological past, but also for the shaping of territories. Finally, in an effort of decentralization, the fourth part looks at three different colonial contexts: French Algeria (1840-1880), the colony of New Zealand (1840-1880), and the State of California (1850-1870). Studying these contexts, which have remained unexplored by the historiography of paleontology, highlights the entanglements of the fossil record with a diversity of territorial struggles, particularly those related to the perception and treatment of indigenous population.
The ambition of this dissertation is to provide the means to resituate the fossil record at the crossroad of the history of the Earth and the histories of territories, between the reconstruction of the geological past and the construction of today’s world.
HoST - Journal of History of Science and Technology, 2023
The “Dinosaur Renaissance” is known as a crucial event in the study of dinosaurs. From sluggish a... more The “Dinosaur Renaissance” is known as a crucial event in the study of dinosaurs. From sluggish and lizard-like, they came to be conceived and represented as more dynamic animals. This paper argues that the “Dinosaur Renaissance” did not only constitute a significant scientific and artistic shift. Indeed, it can also be interpreted as a foundational episode for the historiography of paleoart. During the “Dinosaur Renaissance,” a growing community of artists and paleontologists promoted the integration of artistic processes in paleontology. They began to actively discuss the historical legacy and future of such integration. The itinerant paleoart exhibition Dinosaurs Past and Present, hosted in eight major cities across North America at the end of the 1980s, can be identified as having played a significant role in setting the foundation for the historiography of paleoart. The “Dinosaur Renaissance” did not only result in revised visual representations of dinosaurs, but also spurred some of the first investigations on the historical relationship between visual arts and paleontology. This article concludes by offering some remarks on how the present historiography of paleoart can continue to build on the efforts made during the “Dinosaur Renaissance” while remaining cognizant of their context. To effectively answer the needs of historians, as well as of paleontologists and paleoartists alike, the growing historiography of paleoart has much to gain in clarifying its own history.
This article presents a French translation of an excerpt from Sacred Sites. The Secret History of... more This article presents a French translation of an excerpt from Sacred Sites. The Secret History of Southern California, a poem by American writer and poet Susan Suntree. This translation is seen as an opportunity to discuss the advantages afforded by the free verse form to not only narrate the history of Earth and life but also cultivate among the public a deeper awareness about time. This article contributes therefore to the literature on the role played by artistic forms and technics in the study of the geological past or deep time. Commenting on the translated excerpt from Sacred Sites, it argues that the free verse form represents a poetic medium suitable to simultaneously give shape to the historicity of Earth and share something of the unique conditions in which this historicity is being studied. The educational and expressive potential of free verse and other poetic forms to share geological knowledge and perspectives should seriously be considered in view of today's environmental crisis. MOTS-CLÉS. poésie, vers libre, géologie, paléontologie, deep time.
The catastrophic scenario of Jurassic Park is known worldwide and across generations, thanks to t... more The catastrophic scenario of Jurassic Park is known worldwide and across generations, thanks to two movie trilogies, as well as countless video games, toys, and other derived products inspired by Michael Crichton's 1990 novel. Despite Jurassic Park's originality, stories of genetically engineered dinosaurs on the loose made their debut during the 1970s, when genetic technologies, such as recombinant DNA, were being developed. This article retraces, through a series of examples, the rise of a now classic narrative featuring genetically engineered dinosaurs escaping their creators, from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. The succeeding variations around this narrative eventually forged a powerful, long-lasting cultural device processing anxieties into entertainment by fictionally predicting the consequences of genetic technologies. The deep past and dinosaurs were fashioned into a screen on which the public learned to read omens about the technological future and the end of a traditional distinction between natural and artificial.
A review of Alison Bashford, "The Huxleys: an intimate history of evolution" (The University of C... more A review of Alison Bashford, "The Huxleys: an intimate history of evolution" (The University of Chicago Press, 2022).
As remains, traces or impressions of extinct species, fossils represent one of the rare sources o... more As remains, traces or impressions of extinct species, fossils represent one of the rare sources of information enabling us to investigate and reconstruct the history of our planet. From this perspective, fossils are rightfully considered as “archives of the Earth”. Starting in the early nineteenth century, the study of fossils became systematic, especially in France, Great Britain, and the United States. Through new methodologies and disciplines, such as comparative anatomy and paleontological stratigraphy, fossils from less or more distant regions of the globe could be compared, reconstructed, and rearranged. It is in large part on this scientific work, which began more than two centuries ago, that the modern understanding of geological time relies. The historiography of geology and paleontology has traditionally been interested in explaining the evolution of practices, institutions, and concepts, which made it possible for fossils to acquire their value as archives.
Fossils as Archives of Territories aims at revisiting the history of the archiving of fossils in the nineteenth century by taking a different path focusing less on epistemological than on political questions. If fossils have been documents providing access to the Earth’s past, they also have an irreducible relation to the lands and undergrounds in which they are found. Hence, the history of the transformation of fossils into archives of the Earth should also be able to investigate how this transformation articulated itself with the definition of territories, both national and colonial. While fossils were becoming the archives on which the scientific study of the geological past relies, they also represented a wealth of precious information affecting the perception and governance of various spaces. By approaching fossils as “archives of territories”, this dissertation elucidates how the archiving of fossils is as connected to the reconstruction of the Earth’s past as it is to issues surrounding territories.
Fossils as Archives of Territories is organized in four parts. The first one consists in a methodological step back. It demonstrates the necessity of integrating the plurality of relations that humans have been and are still having with fossils to understand how, since the nineteenth century, the archiving of fossils has played a historical role exceeding the sole history of Earth sciences. The second part of this dissertation shows the different ways the archiving of fossils, in France, Great Britain, and the United States, contributed to the definition of territories in economic, aesthetic, and geopolitical terms. The third part focuses on the transformation, through various mediums, of fossils into strategic objects and sources of information not only for the study of the geological past, but also for the shaping of territories. Finally, in an effort of decentralization, the fourth part looks at three different colonial contexts: French Algeria (1840-1880), the colony of New Zealand (1840-1880), and the State of California (1850-1870). Studying these contexts, which have remained unexplored by the historiography of paleontology, highlights the entanglements of the fossil record with a diversity of territorial struggles, particularly those related to the perception and treatment of indigenous population.
The ambition of this dissertation is to provide the means to resituate the fossil record at the crossroad of the history of the Earth and the histories of territories, between the reconstruction of the geological past and the construction of today’s world.
HoST - Journal of History of Science and Technology, 2023
The “Dinosaur Renaissance” is known as a crucial event in the study of dinosaurs. From sluggish a... more The “Dinosaur Renaissance” is known as a crucial event in the study of dinosaurs. From sluggish and lizard-like, they came to be conceived and represented as more dynamic animals. This paper argues that the “Dinosaur Renaissance” did not only constitute a significant scientific and artistic shift. Indeed, it can also be interpreted as a foundational episode for the historiography of paleoart. During the “Dinosaur Renaissance,” a growing community of artists and paleontologists promoted the integration of artistic processes in paleontology. They began to actively discuss the historical legacy and future of such integration. The itinerant paleoart exhibition Dinosaurs Past and Present, hosted in eight major cities across North America at the end of the 1980s, can be identified as having played a significant role in setting the foundation for the historiography of paleoart. The “Dinosaur Renaissance” did not only result in revised visual representations of dinosaurs, but also spurred some of the first investigations on the historical relationship between visual arts and paleontology. This article concludes by offering some remarks on how the present historiography of paleoart can continue to build on the efforts made during the “Dinosaur Renaissance” while remaining cognizant of their context. To effectively answer the needs of historians, as well as of paleontologists and paleoartists alike, the growing historiography of paleoart has much to gain in clarifying its own history.
This article presents a French translation of an excerpt from Sacred Sites. The Secret History of... more This article presents a French translation of an excerpt from Sacred Sites. The Secret History of Southern California, a poem by American writer and poet Susan Suntree. This translation is seen as an opportunity to discuss the advantages afforded by the free verse form to not only narrate the history of Earth and life but also cultivate among the public a deeper awareness about time. This article contributes therefore to the literature on the role played by artistic forms and technics in the study of the geological past or deep time. Commenting on the translated excerpt from Sacred Sites, it argues that the free verse form represents a poetic medium suitable to simultaneously give shape to the historicity of Earth and share something of the unique conditions in which this historicity is being studied. The educational and expressive potential of free verse and other poetic forms to share geological knowledge and perspectives should seriously be considered in view of today's environmental crisis. MOTS-CLÉS. poésie, vers libre, géologie, paléontologie, deep time.
The catastrophic scenario of Jurassic Park is known worldwide and across generations, thanks to t... more The catastrophic scenario of Jurassic Park is known worldwide and across generations, thanks to two movie trilogies, as well as countless video games, toys, and other derived products inspired by Michael Crichton's 1990 novel. Despite Jurassic Park's originality, stories of genetically engineered dinosaurs on the loose made their debut during the 1970s, when genetic technologies, such as recombinant DNA, were being developed. This article retraces, through a series of examples, the rise of a now classic narrative featuring genetically engineered dinosaurs escaping their creators, from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. The succeeding variations around this narrative eventually forged a powerful, long-lasting cultural device processing anxieties into entertainment by fictionally predicting the consequences of genetic technologies. The deep past and dinosaurs were fashioned into a screen on which the public learned to read omens about the technological future and the end of a traditional distinction between natural and artificial.
A review of Alison Bashford, "The Huxleys: an intimate history of evolution" (The University of C... more A review of Alison Bashford, "The Huxleys: an intimate history of evolution" (The University of Chicago Press, 2022).
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Fossils as Archives of Territories aims at revisiting the history of the archiving of fossils in the nineteenth century by taking a different path focusing less on epistemological than on political questions. If fossils have been documents providing access to the Earth’s past, they also have an irreducible relation to the lands and undergrounds in which they are found. Hence, the history of the transformation of fossils into archives of the Earth should also be able to investigate how this transformation articulated itself with the definition of territories, both national and colonial. While fossils were becoming the archives on which the scientific study of the geological past relies, they also represented a wealth of precious information affecting the perception and governance of various spaces. By approaching fossils as “archives of territories”, this dissertation elucidates how the archiving of fossils is as connected to the reconstruction of the Earth’s past as it is to issues surrounding territories.
Fossils as Archives of Territories is organized in four parts. The first one consists in a methodological step back. It demonstrates the necessity of integrating the plurality of relations that humans have been and are still having with fossils to understand how, since the nineteenth century, the archiving of fossils has played a historical role exceeding the sole history of Earth sciences. The second part of this dissertation shows the different ways the archiving of fossils, in France, Great Britain, and the United States, contributed to the definition of territories in economic, aesthetic, and geopolitical terms. The third part focuses on the transformation, through various mediums, of fossils into strategic objects and sources of information not only for the study of the geological past, but also for the shaping of territories. Finally, in an effort of decentralization, the fourth part looks at three different colonial contexts: French Algeria (1840-1880), the colony of New Zealand (1840-1880), and the State of California (1850-1870). Studying these contexts, which have remained unexplored by the historiography of paleontology, highlights the entanglements of the fossil record with a diversity of territorial struggles, particularly those related to the perception and treatment of indigenous population.
The ambition of this dissertation is to provide the means to resituate the fossil record at the crossroad of the history of the Earth and the histories of territories, between the reconstruction of the geological past and the construction of today’s world.
Fossils as Archives of Territories aims at revisiting the history of the archiving of fossils in the nineteenth century by taking a different path focusing less on epistemological than on political questions. If fossils have been documents providing access to the Earth’s past, they also have an irreducible relation to the lands and undergrounds in which they are found. Hence, the history of the transformation of fossils into archives of the Earth should also be able to investigate how this transformation articulated itself with the definition of territories, both national and colonial. While fossils were becoming the archives on which the scientific study of the geological past relies, they also represented a wealth of precious information affecting the perception and governance of various spaces. By approaching fossils as “archives of territories”, this dissertation elucidates how the archiving of fossils is as connected to the reconstruction of the Earth’s past as it is to issues surrounding territories.
Fossils as Archives of Territories is organized in four parts. The first one consists in a methodological step back. It demonstrates the necessity of integrating the plurality of relations that humans have been and are still having with fossils to understand how, since the nineteenth century, the archiving of fossils has played a historical role exceeding the sole history of Earth sciences. The second part of this dissertation shows the different ways the archiving of fossils, in France, Great Britain, and the United States, contributed to the definition of territories in economic, aesthetic, and geopolitical terms. The third part focuses on the transformation, through various mediums, of fossils into strategic objects and sources of information not only for the study of the geological past, but also for the shaping of territories. Finally, in an effort of decentralization, the fourth part looks at three different colonial contexts: French Algeria (1840-1880), the colony of New Zealand (1840-1880), and the State of California (1850-1870). Studying these contexts, which have remained unexplored by the historiography of paleontology, highlights the entanglements of the fossil record with a diversity of territorial struggles, particularly those related to the perception and treatment of indigenous population.
The ambition of this dissertation is to provide the means to resituate the fossil record at the crossroad of the history of the Earth and the histories of territories, between the reconstruction of the geological past and the construction of today’s world.