Plants and Empire：Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World

Plantsseldomfigureinthegrandnarrativesofwar,peace,oreveneverydaylifeyettheyareoftenatthecenterofhighintrigue.Intheeighteenthcentury,epicscientificvoyagesweresponsoredbyEuropeanimperialpowerstoexplorethenaturalrichesoftheNewWorld,anduncoverthebotanicalsecretsofitspeople.Bioprospectorsbroughtbackmedicines,luxuries,andstaplesfortheirkingandcountry.Riskingtheirlivestodiscoverexoticplants,thesedaredevilexplorersjoinedwiththeirsponsorstocreateaglobalcultureofbotany.Butsomesecretswereunearthedonlytobelostagain.InthismovingaccountoftheabusesofindigenousCaribbeanpeopleandAfricanslaves,Schiebingerdescribeshowslavewomenbrewedthe�peacockflower�intoanabortifacient,toensurethattheywouldbearnochildrenintooppression.Yet,impededbytradewindsofprevailingopinion,knowledgeofWestIndianabortifacientsneverflowedintoEurope.Arichhistoryofdiscoveryandloss,PlantsandEmpireexploresthemovement,triumph,andextinctionofknowledgeinthecourseofencountersbetweenEuropeansandtheCaribbeanpopulations.