Christoffer Basse Eriksen

Project title

Sovereign Flowers: Flora Danica and the Emergence of the National Flora, 1750–1900

What is your project about?

In 1761, the Danish King Frederik V published the first volume of Flora Danica, a series of books presenting one image of each native plant species of the Danish kingdoms. Over the following 120 years, an impressive amount of plant collectors, draughtsmen, engravers and publishers contributed to the publication of more than 3000 hand-coloured tables. The project Sovereign Flowers carries out the first large-scale study of Flora Danica, while placing this publication in a larger history about the emergence of the national flora as a genre during the 18th and 19th centuries. The project's hypothesis is that these many flower pictures played a crucial role in the consolidation of the European nation-states. Through extensive archival work in Danish archives, the project analyses how Flora Danica helped to foster a synoptic view of Danish nature. At the same time, the project completes a census of existing copies of selected Flora Danica volumes in archives and libraries to investigate how the Danish flora was received throughout Northern Europe.

How did you become interested in your particular field of research?

It is difficult for me not to resort to the cliché that my identity and interest as a researcher are 'shaped by my time'. I have a strong memory of learning about ozone holes during a summer holiday sometime in the 90s, and my years as a student were marked by growing concerns over the biodiversity and climate crises. As my nature has always been more intellectual than activist, these concerns translated into an interest into the history of natural history during my years as a student. My specific interest in botanical atlases and their value and power was sparked during my research stays in Cambridge and Berlin, where I found a wealth of archival materials and a lively, scholarly debate on natural-historical practices. Back then, I only knew few things about the Flora Danica. Yet, through conversations with gifted colleagues, I realised how much there was to be gained, if I put all my efforts into this particular botanical publication. I'm now looking very much forward to beginning this project.

What are the scientific challenges and perspectives in your project?

Research into the history of science has traditionally favoured texts over images and theories over description. Therefore, the project faces the methodological challenge of developing an analytical model that allows us to investigate the more than 3000 illuminated tables that make up the Flora Danica. To accommodate this challenge, we will develop a theory of 'epistemic sovereignty'. The concept 'epistemic sovereignty' refers to the political power that is produced when a political territory, such as that of a nation-state, is being represented through a scalable, scientific model, such as a national flora. At the same time, the unique nature of the material - a botanical enterprise spanning 120 years - gives us an exceptional chance to study the changing relationship between science and the state.

What is your estimate of the impact, which your project may have to society in the long term?

The Flora Danica materials are both cultural and natural heritage, and through them we are able to provide unique insights into the ways in which our cultural ideas of nature have been shaped. It is absolutely essential that we conserve access to such materials, but it is equally important that we maintain a sophisticated, critical dialogue on our shared cultural heritage within our society. The project contributes to this democratic debate through analysis of the emergence of the notion of a specific Danish nature and convictions about the importance of the indigeneity of Danish plants.

Which impact do you expect the Sapere Aude programme will have on your career as a researcher?

It's a great honour for me to receive the Sapere Aude: DFF-Research Leader-grant, which puts me on track to define the future of my research field in Denmark the coming years. I'm particularly pleased to be able to establish my first research group. Throughout my research career, I've only learned what I've learned, because I've been able to take part in strong, international research environments. I'm now looking forward to take the first steps towards establishing such an environment at Aarhus University. At the same time, I'm very excited to be able to bring the unique Flora Danica material into conversation with the international research on the history of science. Denmark is too often portrayed as part of the periphery in the European history of science, but I'm confident that my project will show that Denmark has played a central part.

Background and personal life

I grew up in a small village in Eastern Jutland, went to high school in Odder, and did both my undergraduate and graduate studies at Aarhus University (with brief forays to Freiburg, Ghent and Palo Alto along the way). Having finished my PhD, I spent almost five years as a postdoc at University of Cambridge and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin together with my family. We've now returned to our small house in Aarhus, where I try to balance my identity as a researcher and a father, while sometimes managing to read a few pages in London Review of Books or watch a bit of tennis.