This virtual lecture is co-sponsored by the Alliance Francaise de Portland and the German American Society of Portland.

Please RSVP for zoom link to zeitgeistnw@gmail.com

Even over two centuries after Alexander von Humboldt’s celebrated American expedition

(1799-1804), the Prussian naturalist, historian and humanist is well remembered on both sides

of the Atlantic. While some praise him as the father of environmentalism, others question his

contribution to the sciences. While some take him as a colonial explorer, others heroize him

as the ideological leader of the Independence movement in Spanish America.

Dr. Rebok will contextualize Humboldt´s life and legacy: Who was the famous explorer, what

were his key achievements and how do they differ from other scholars’of his time? And

what can we still learn from him while facing the challenges of our world today?