Mountain “global”: A comparative history of natural sciences about mountains, 16th to 20th centuries

International conference of the International Association for Alpine History (IAAH) Since the Renaissance, research on the indigenous nature in mountain regions has experienced a major boom. After the discovery of America, the Spanish crown started to claim „relaciones” (reports) from sailors, as well as from local officials, to gather information about the nature and people of the newly discovered territories. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Andes, the Alps and the Himalayas were once more a central focus of natural research, as the travels to the Alps by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799), the Chimborazo expedition by Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), or the journey of the Jesuit Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733) to Tibet prove. The case studies of the conference of the International Association of Alpine History 2020 focus on the natural history research in mountain regions from 16th to 20th century, with a comparative approach, emphasizing the role of the actors, their practices, the circulation of objects and knowledge.