Image: 'A Malay native from Batavia at Coepang' by Thomas Baines, 1856. © Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth
Congratulations to Professor Felix Driver, Royal Holloway, University of London, Dr Lowri Jones, University of Oxford, Vandana Patel, Museum of London, and all members of their team who have received the President’s Medal of the Society for the History of Natural History, for their work on the research project Hidden Histories of Exploration.
This new award, presented to Felix and the team in an online ceremony yesterday, recognises an individual or team’s contribution and impact in promoting and improving accessibility, inclusivity and diversity to the study of the history of natural history.
The Society for the History of Natural History’s Council said they were impressed by the pioneering work carried out by the team in researching the hidden histories of exploration which were revealed in the original Hidden Histories of Exploration exhibition, the accompanying book, workshops, and educational material for schools. This research and its outcomes have kick-started many of the subsequent discussions on the hidden histories of colonialism, racism, diversity, and exclusion that lie unacknowledged in museums, collections, and heritage organisations.
Felix is Chair of the Society’s Collections Advisory Group and led the ARHC funded project Hidden Histories of Exploration, alongside Dr Lowri Jones, which explored the role of locals and intermediaries in the history of exploration and travel, through research on the Society’s Collections.
See the online version of the Hidden Histories of Exploration exhibition.