From the state of nature to the state of ruins: 'American race' and 'savage knowledge' according to Carl von Martius.
Annals of science January 1, 2022 Raphael Uchôa
The article examines how the German naturalist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868) conceptualized native peoples of the Americas through three interlinked notions: the 'American race', 'ruins', and 'savage knowledge'. Martius, a leading figure in nineteenth-century botany and ethnology, characterized American natives by integrating fields such as medicine, botany, theology, philology, and mythology. The concept of 'ruins' served as a guiding metaphor for understanding these peoples, while 'savage knowledge'—semantically aligned with ruins—found its principal expression in shamanic practice. The author argues that Martius's work, though somewhat neglected, was influential among European and American scholars.