From historical maps to contemporary indigenous art: students delve into archives and visit art exhibition

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Students enrolled in the "Planet Amazonia" visit Firestone Library’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Students enrolled in the "Planet Amazonia" visit Firestone Library’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. In the first-year seminar, students explore how Indigenous knowledges and the environment co-produce one another and consider the significance of forest-making practices for conservation science and climate change mobilization.

On February 20, 2024, students enrolled in the first year seminar "Planet Amazonia" visited Firestone Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections Department. Alongside with instructor Miqueias Mugge and librarian Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez, they viewed rare historical materials produced in and about the Amazon rainforest.

“Princeton has a rich and unique archive of Amazonian primary sources, including maps, manuscripts and printed books," said Mugge an associate research scholar and lecturer at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS). "Over the years, there has been a collaborative effort that has resulted in a significant expansion of our collections." Mugge also noted that the increase in available materials benefits both scholars and students, as “engaging with the archive and reading these sources against the grain is vital to better understand the role of Indigenous peoples and their knowledges in safeguarding the forest.”