New Science From Old News

Scientific book, based upon historical research conducted by Cristina Brito, about sea monsters in the early modern production and transfer of knowledge from the natural world in Portugal and the Portuguese America.

NEW SCIENCE FROM OLD NEWS

This is a scientific book, based upon historical research by Cristina Brito, about sea monsters in the early modern production and transfer of natural knowledge in Portugal and the Atlantic. It is the result of the post-doctoral research project by the author (2010-2015) conducted at CHAM (Portuguese Centre for Global History) at NOVA University.

It discuss Portuguese accounts from the early modern period (16th to 18th centuries) in Portugal and the Portuguese America. Presents, among other, the fabulous marine monster described by Pero de Magalhães Gandavo and puts forward the Portuguese sources into the present day historiograhy related to Atlantic history and a natural history of the exotic. The book runs through 120 pages, including 4 main chapters and several illustrations:

- MONSTERS IN THE EARLY MODERN AGE

- GÂNDAVO'S SEA MONSTER AND THE TRANSFER OF BRAZILIAN NATURAL KNOWLEDGE TO EUROPE IN THE 16TH CENTURY

- WHALES IN PAMPHLETS: NEWSPAPERS AND IMAGES AS VEHICLES OF NATURAL HISTORY KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER DURING THE 18TH CENTURY

- MARINE MAMMALS IN EARLY MODERN PORTUGAL AND THE ATLANTIC

 The purpose is to address the past relationship of humans and marine mammals, analyzing their common environmental, scientific and socio-cultural history in the early modern Atlantic, using overlooked Portuguese sources. This book represents a first approach to 15th to 18th century’s marine environmental history of the Portuguese Atlantic and, in a sense, tries to respond to international questions and scientific efforts for the study of changing human perceptions in relation to the ocean and its animals. In fact, many accounts of sea mammals and other large marine animals from this period offer up significant, but previously ignored, observations on marine species and environments as well as on people’s knowledge about them and the reception and dissemination of such new and exotic knowledge from the natural world.

About the author

Cristina Brito is a Portuguese researcher and writer, living in Lisbon with her daughter. But, as passionate traveler, she finds in Africa and several oceanic islands some of her favorite places. 

She is an Integrated Researcher at the Portuguese Centre for Global History (CHAM - FCSH/NOVA-UAc), founding member of Escola de Mar and Rota das Baleias, and President of the Board of APCM. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, a Masters in Ethology and a PhD in History. Presently, she holds a post-doctoral fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, in History of Sciences, and she takes an active role in the global initiative OPI - Oceans Past Initiative and the EU COST ACTION project OPP - Oceans Past Platform. Her main research interests are: Worldwide whaling history; Marine environmental history; History of science; History of the Atlantic; Conservation of marine mammals’ populations. She has participated in numerous international conferences and has organized short courses and workshops about the history and biology of marine mammals. She has articles published in several national and international journals, and two short stories books.

Escola de Mar is a private initiative aimed at studying, researching, learning and increasing awareness and information of knowledge about the marine environment and the land/sea interface, both in present times and in the past. Main objectives are to:  1 – Gain knowledge about marine animals and their past and present ecosystems; 2 – Bring children and youths closer to the marine environment and all its features; 3 – Support conservation policies based on up-to-date and scientifically sound research; 4 – Encourage a creative consciousness about the presence and importance of the sea in human societies over time; 5 – Increase the general public’s awareness of the importance of the sea and its conservation. 

This book is the first one in a new collection – Scientia et Historia – devoted to international scientific studies mostly, but not exclusively, on marine ecology and conservation, marine environmental history and historical ecology, and history of science. This will be a joint publication of Escola de Mar and CHAM  Portuguese Centre for Global History (Lisbon, Portugal).

Budget and due dates

From January 14, 2016 to February 24, 2016.

The total budget is 1.850 €, which will allow designing and printing an first edition of 100 copies of the book. If this amount is surpassed, the amount of books edited will be increased.

Book characteristics: 120 black and white pages, with more than 20 illustrations. Cover in colour based on a watercolour by the Portuguese painter Carlos Alexandre. Book and cover with the design of Marc Parchow, Qual Albatroz.

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