The Travel Writing of Henri Mouhot: Natural History, the Scientific Expedition, and the Language of Empire
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Abstract
By employing a historical approach, this research aims to study the travel writing of the French traveler Henri Mouhot, who conducted scientific surveys in the interior regions of Siam, Cambodia, and Laos during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860. This paper argues that the growth of natural history in the 18th century gave rise to a new form of travel with the direct purpose of scientific study. Consequently, Mouhot was financially supported to carry out projects to explore the interior regions of Siam, Cambodia, and Laos, surveying lands, resources, and people. The expedition also allowed him to collect plant and animal specimens, which were shipped back to associations in England that funded his work. Mouhot’s travel writing, which was part of the European natural history project, represented European power and the legitimacy to rule other parts of the world through what was portrayed as a humanist and innocent act. His travel writing, after the French Revolution, thus substituted violent conquests, which were criticized as illegitimate actions.
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References
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