Abraham Bäck and Linnean racial science
In February 1744, the famous Swedish physician Abraham Bäck (1713-95), also known as Carl Linnaeus’s best friend, dissected the corpse and skin of an unknown Black man who had recently died at the Hôpital de la Charité in Paris. Black cadavers were rare in eighteenth century Europe, and opportunities to dissect them were few. Dark-skinned corpses were even rarer in countries which did not have colonial possessions nor directly partook in the slave-trade, as was the case of Sweden during the Age of Liberty (Frihetstiden, 1719-72). Based on recently rediscovered archival materials, this talk will explore the little-known research, experiments, and views of Bäck on Black human remains and Blackness, arguing they played a crucial role in shaping Linnaeus’s own views about human taxonomy.
Date: 6 November 2023, 16:00 (Monday, 5th week, Michaelmas 2023)
Venue: Maison Francaise d’Oxford, 2-10 Norham Road, Oxford OX2 6SE
Speaker: Dr Vincent Roy-Di Piazza (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm)
Organising department: Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology
Part of: Centre for the History of Science Medicine and Technology (OCHSMT) Seminars and Events
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Belinda Clark