The book 'Botany of Empire' challenges plant science to better see the ways it has been shaped by European colonialism, highlighting the enduring nature of imperial attitudes, theories, and practices.
Banu Subramaniam, author of 'Botany of Empire,' emphasizes the need for a serious effort to decolonize botanical research, focusing on subfields like taxonomy, plant reproductive biology, and invasion biology.
Subramaniam, a professor of women's and gender studies at Wellesley College, discusses the complexity of renaming plants to honor colonialists like Cecil Rhodes, drawing parallels with women's historical expectations to change their names.
The book sheds light on the impact of colonial logic in plant science and advocates for ongoing decolonization efforts, particularly within the framework of the International Botanical Congress and its Nomenclature Section.
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