Gudrun Corvinus’ Personal and Scientific Experiences in the International Afar Research Expedition, Ethiopia, 1973-1975
In the years 2024 and 2025, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris received a collection of more than 1,000 written documents and photographs collected by Gudrun Corvinus between 1973 and 1975, when she was a member of the International Afar Research Expedition (1972-1977). During th...
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| Veröffentlicht in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/afriques, |
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| Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprache: | Anglais |
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Afriques
2026
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| Schlagworte: | |
| Online Zugang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Zusammenfassung: | In the years 2024 and 2025, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris received a collection of more than 1,000 written documents and photographs collected by Gudrun Corvinus between 1973 and 1975, when she was a member of the International Afar Research Expedition (1972-1977). During these expeditions, major fossils were discovered, including the iconic “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) and what until recently were the oldest stone tools. While Corvinus focused on Pleistocene deposits of the Afar region, she additionally illustrated and described her experiences in letters and journal entries, and with photographs. This paper presents these archives and demonstrates how they can be used to encompass various research themes that contribute to an historiography of palaeoanthropology in eastern Africa. It includes fieldwork practices, the context of fossil discovery and collection, and the Western appropriation of scientific narratives about Africa’s past, as well as the history of scientific cooperation between the West and eastern Africa within the broader postcolonial continental context. |
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