EXPERT AT A DISTANCE BARBOSA DU BOCAGE AND THE PRODUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ON AFRICA Catarina Madruga CIUHCT ‒ Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
[email protected] ABSTRACT: The career of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823‒1907) as director of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon) followed by the presidency of the Society of Geography of Lisbon is presented in this paper as an example of transfer of expertise between scientific fields, specifically from zoology to geography. Additionally, it explores the connection between scientific credit and political recognition, in the sense of the conflation of Bocage’s taxonomical and zoogeographical work with the colonial agenda of his time. Although Bocage himself never visited Africa, he was part of a generation of Africanists who were members of the Portuguese elite dedicated to African matters and considered exemplary custodians of the political and diplomatic Portuguese international position regarding its African territories. Keywords: Expertise, zoogeography, science and empire, Africa, nineteenth century INTRODUCTION: BARBOSA DU BOCAGE, A NATURALIST QUA GEOGRAPHER In February 1883, the cover of the Diario Illustrado, a Lisbon daily newspaper, featured an article dedicated to José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823‒1907) a member of the Portuguese scientific and political elite, and a well-known zoologist.1 The illustrated text is 1 Alberto Rocha, “Dr. Bocage,” Diario Illustrado, (February 12) 1883, 3508: 1‒2. For a periodisation and analysis of the biographical notes dedicated to Bocage see: Catarina Madruga, José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823-1907).