In her project TROWI – The TROpics on the WIndowsill, Anne Sophie Overkamp aims not only to trace the journey of subtropical and tropical plant species to Europe and to investigate their domestication and commercialisation, but also to gather new insights into the relationship between us humans and nature.

The assistant professor of the History of Science and Technology Research also impressed at EU level with her project and its significance: The European Research Council (ERC) has selected the researcher from the university of Wuppertal for one of its prestigious ERC Starting Grants in the latest funding round (see also info box). She is thus the first person in the School of Humanities to receive an ERC grant.

Highlighting connections

But why houseplants in particular? According to the researcher, they reveal just how closely everyday life and world history are intertwined. The spread of houseplant cultivation is directly linked to industrialisation and urbanisation on the one hand, and to imperialism and colonialism on the other. In TROWI, she is therefore taking a closer look at the period from the mid-19th century up to the Great Depression of 1929.

“For many people, having green plants in the home was a way of coming to terms with changing living conditions in the city and of countering the perceived alienation from nature,” reports Anne Sophie Overkamp.

Furthermore, many of these plants were only available because European powers were expanding their spheres of influence and appropriating resources from other regions. “The tropical and subtropical origins of many houseplants that we now take for granted have almost been forgotten,” Overkamp continues.

No trivial matter

She wants to change that, partly to use knowledge of the past to open up new perspectives on the present and the future. “TROWI is the first large-scale research project dedicated to houseplants. These are often seen as a minor issue. But they offer an original way of linking research questions that have, until now, mostly been considered in isolation. This is because the plants embody both global transfer processes and local practices of appropriation,” explains Anne Sophie Overkamp.

Overkamp makes it clear that her research can provide a new and comprehensive picture of how people shape the plant world – and, just as importantly, are shaped by it. The project is thus also intended to help us better understand what nature means in a globalised world and how nature reacts to human intervention.

To foster fresh ways of thinking, the research team deliberately places plants at the centre of their analysis. “From this perspective, in which plants are no longer seen merely as passive resources but as independent actors in history, we shed new light on familiar themes such as scientific progress, imperialism and gender roles.”

There are also plans for BUGA 2031

At TROWI, the five-member team combines approaches from the natural sciences and the humanities – ranging from botany through the history of science, technology and art to global history. Their research draws on contemporary seed and plant catalogues from major nurseries, historical horticultural journals such as Möller’s Deutsche Gärtner-Zeitung, the Belgian Journal d’Horticulture Pratique and the Botanical Magazine, as well as photographs, prints and advertising graphics.

“We examine these materials and, in doing so, can trace, for example, how plants originating from distant lands found their way into everyday European life, how they were bred and modified, and how their presence became visible there: When did they first appear in catalogues, how were they advertised in magazines, and what image, if any, was conveyed?”, the researcher summarises.

The findings are expected to include three academic books and several journal articles. In addition, the team is planning a publicly accessible website showcasing major commercial nurseries and plant cultivation in the 19th century.

Podcast interviews and an interactive exhibition – ideally as part of the 2031 Federal Horticultural Show in Wuppertal – are also planned to bring the research and its findings to a wider public.

Rector Prof Dr Birgitta Wolff, on behalf of the University management, warmly congratulates Anne Sophie Overkamp on this outstanding achievement: “Anne Sophie Overkamp’s ERC-funded project demonstrates how a novel research approach can shed new light on seemingly mundane aspects of everyday life, whilst addressing important questions about our relationship with nature, globalisation and social change.”