The science of Geology developed rapidly in the second half of the 19th century, partly accelerated by Western powers' colonial and imperial expansions. Geologists accompanied colonial expeditions, collecting data and specimens that they sent back to Western institutions for curation and study. In turn, advances in Geology made possible the extraction of geologic resources that fueled further Western expansion -- and geologists themselves often served as intelligence gatherers, sending military, political, and economic insight back to Western governments. These Geo-colonial relationships had high human and environmental costs, contributing to Indigenous land dispossession, resource theft, and unethical labor practices.

This talk will examine these themes through the lens of mineral specimens from Tsumeb, Namibia, and will ask: what do we do with legacies of social violence in our collections and in our science?

Dr. Carrie Robbins, Curator of Art and Artifacts, Special Collections, Bryn Mawr College. Dr. Robbins is an art historian appointed as Curator/Academic Liaison for Art & Artifacts in the Department of Special Collections at Bryn Mawr College, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She develops and organizes exhibitions, manages publication projects, researches and catalogs art, and partners with faculty and students to integrate collection objects into courses and programs. She advises and supervises students on a regular basis, often teaching curatorial seminars in the Department of History of Art or through the College's interdisciplinary 360° program.

Prof. Dr. Selby Hearth, Associate Professor of Geology, Bryn Mawr College. Prof. Dr. Hearth is a mineralogist in the Department of Geology at Bryn Mawr College, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her research examines geologic extraction legacies, including acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines and the intersections between human systems and geologic knowledge production at colonial mine sites. She teaches courses on mineralogy, petrology, and the history of geology through the lens of Western colonialism. Much of her scholarship and teaching is centered on the Bryn Mawr Mineral Collection, which comprises about 40,000 specimens from around the world.