Petri, E.Iu.: V.V. Junker’s Travels Through Africa

Title

Puteshestviia V.V. Iunkera po Afrike, Sankt-Peterburg 1905³ (first edition: 1893)

V.V. Junker’s Travels Through Africa

Keywords

Summary

The book is equipped with 158 illustrations, 1 map and 1 portrait. It is organised in eleven chapters, preceded by an introduction from the editor. The introductory section claims that despite being born in Moscow, the late explorer Wilhelm Junker had to publish his extensive works – a product of his journeys to Africa and scientific endeavours – in Europe. His comprehensive three-volume book was published in both German and English. The editor enlisted the now-deceased E. Petri to translate a condensed edition of this work, addressing it to specialists in geography. Surprisingly, the book achieved tremendous success. The editor supposes that this success can be attributed to the peaceful nature of the author’s travels, which stands in contrast to the conventional approach of many African explorers who often relied on “sword and fire” during their journeys. Junker, in contrast, avoided violence, achieving remarkable scientific breakthroughs in the realms of geography, ethnography, and natural sciences. The following chapters delve into the author’s numerous journeys across Africa, primarily in the Eastern part of the continent, spanning from Egypt to Tanzania. These chapters provide detailed accounts of local regions from the viewpoint of geography, with particular focus on rivers and waterfalls, explore local customs (including administration, the role of women in communities, culture, and religion), while also addressing aspects such as climate, flora, and fauna.

Bio

Eduard Petri was a geographer and anthropologist. He pursued his studies at the Medical and Surgical Academy and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Bern for his work Beiträge zur Lehre von den Hemmungsapparaten des Herzens (1880). He worked as a professor of geography and anthropology at the University of Bern. In 1887 Petri was appointed as a professor of geography and ethnography at the University of Saint Petersburg. Following this, he authored Fundamentals of Anthropology (1890) and Somatic Anthropology (1895-1897). He contributed to the Real Encyclopedia of Medical Sciences and translated works such as Iadrintsev’s Siberia as a Colony into German, and Iavorskii’s journey (Reise nach Afghanistan, 1884) into Russian.

Sources

Entsiklopedicheskii slovar’ Brokgauza i Efrona, t. 23 (45), Sankt-Peterburg 1890-1907, p. 453;

A. Sirina, Zabytye stranitsy sibirskoi etnografii: B. E. Petri, in Repressirovannye etnografy, ed. by D. Tumarkin, Moskva 2002, p. 58-59.

M.E.

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