Research project
The History of Palaeontology with Emphasis on Vertebrate Palaeontology in China (Especially the work of Teilhard de Chardin) and the work of Alcide d’Orbigny in South America
Patricia Komarower recently completed her Ph.D. (advisors, Profs. P. Vickers-Rich and Homer Le Grand) on the history of vertebrate palaeontology in China, emphasizing the role played by many foreign advisors such as the French priest Teilhard de Chardin working in concert with developing Chinese academics and scholars. The findings of such extraordinary fossils as “Peking Man” in the Choukoudian caves near Beijing, had marked impact on the world of archaeology in the 1930’s, and such discoveries were made amidst the turmoil of political change that wracked China over the past two centuries – and Komarower’s research involved understanding the effect these tumultuous times had on the course of the scientific research and discoveries in this developing country, often isolated from the scientific communites of Europe and North America. Current projects involve: (1) translation of the Palaeontology volume of Alcide d’Orbigny’s travels in South America (Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Boliva and Peru, 1826-1833); (2) continued research evaluation of the ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, the paleontologist, and his ideas at the turn of the 21st Century; and (3) comparative study of the historical development of palaeontology in Australia, South America, India and China in order to highlight similarities and differences arising from the different cultural settings. It is fortunate that Komarower is fluent in several languages, as much of the literature she deals with is not in English.
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