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The 'expedition in the beer house'. A different look at the African explorers of the 19th century

For the last time this year, the Gotha Research Library of the University invites all interested parties to its "Perthes im Gespräch" series, in which the latest results in the cataloguing, preservation and research of the Gotha Perthes Collection are reported once a quarter. The event will take place on Wednesday, 11 December. It starts at 6 pm in the "Ahnensaal" of the Perthes Forum in Gotha. Admission is free.

This evening, the historian and German Studies scholar Albert Feierabend will be our guest. His lecture is entitled "The 'Expedition in the Bierhaus'. A different view of 19th century African explorers" and uses the example of the controversial naturalist, botanist and African traveller Hermann Steudner (1832–1863) to develop new, more realistic perspectives on the history of expeditions and the European discovery of Africa.

Feierabend is currently doing his doctorate as a scholarship holder of the Gerda Henkel Foundation in the project "Geography and Politics between North-East Africa and Europe" at the Centre for Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection at the University of Erfurt.

Following his lecture, the Friends of the Gotha Research Library invite you to a small reception.

picture credits: August Petermann: Route suggestions for the expedition to Inner Africa, Gotha 1860 (Gotha Research Library of the University of Erfurt / Gotha Perthes Collection)

In the run-up to Albert Feierabend's lecture, an article on this topic has been published on the Gotha Research Library blog.

Read the blog post here! (in German only)

further information / contact:

Petra Weigel
Dr. Petra Weigel
Curator of the Perthes Collection
(Gotha Research Library)
Gotha Research Library (Gotha, Schlossplatz 1)
Office hours
by arrangement

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