School of Social and Political Science

Description

Although much has been made of imperial science, the spectre of the arrival of phylloxera (which had already destroyed much of Europe's vineyards c.1880) led the Cape authorities to look to European scientific networks for help. The project investigates collaborations with some of the most highly esteemed French, Austrian and German experts. It also seeks to understand why the outcomes at the Cape were distinct, relating to climatic differences, the shortage of labour and the lack of carbon bisulphide.