From the state of nature to the state of ruins: 'American race' and 'savage knowledge' according to Carl von Martius.

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study focuses on the notions of 'ruins', 'savage knowledge', and 'American race' in the works of the German naturalist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868). A somewhat neglected figure in the history of anthropology and of natural history, Martius was regarded by scholars from Europe and the Americas as a leading figure in botany and ethnology in the nineteenth century. In this article, I discuss how Martius articulated: (1) the notion of American race, that is, a broad characterization of the native peoples of the Americas rooted in a complex natural history which brought together seemingly disparate fields of knowledge, such as medicine, botany, theology, philology, and mythology; (2) having ruins as a guiding concept, which helped him to make sense of American natives; and (3) savage knowledge - a concept semantically aligned to that of ruins, and among whose principal modes of expression was shamanic practice.