Kathleen Cruz Gutierrez. Unmaking Botany: Science and Vernacular Knowledge in the Colonial Philippines. Durham: Duke University Press, 2025.

January 1, 2026Southeast Asian studiesOpen Access

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Key Points

The aim is to explore the interplay between colonial science and vernacular knowledge in the Philippines.
Analyzes historical botanical practices in the Philippines.
Examines local epistemologies alongside colonial science.
Explores cultural expressions related to plants.
Introduces the concept of 'sovereign vernaculars' to contextualize local knowledge.
Highlights the co-production of knowledge between local and imperial influences.
Demonstrates how local practices shaped the trajectory of botanical science.
Exposes the limitations of Western botany when confronted with Philippine biodiversity.
Reveals the political and social functions of plants within local contexts.

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This book reveals how colonial botany shaped local understanding of plants, highlighting cultural dynamics in the Philippines.

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Geronimo Cristobal (2026) studied this question.

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