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Forsyth Letters
21 September 2022, 2.30pm
£20.00
Forsyth Letters
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The event
Dr Christina Welch has been working to uncover the archive of the Scottish botanist Alexander Anderson and transcribing plant lists from his time on the Caribbean island of St Vincent (1785-1811).
In this talk, she will focus on Anderson’s letters and natural histories, highlighting the role that the knowledge systems of indigenous and enslaved African people contributed to St Vincent Botanical Gardens and Anderson’s own perception of particular plants used in folk medicine and for everyday purposes.
She will also explore Anderson’s correspondence with fellow botanist William Forsyth, an important and influential figure in his life.
The speaker
Dr Christina Welch is Reader in Theology, Religion and Philosophy at the University of Winchester.
Her research into enslaved African and indigenous Caribbean contributions to western botanical knowledge is a major externally funded project by the AHRC under their Hidden Histories of Environmental Science scheme.
