Alexander von Humboldt im Spiegel der spanischen Presse. Zur Wahrnehmung seiner Person und seiner Ideen während der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

Article in German, Abstracts in English, Spanish and German.This article shows the image of Alexander von Humboldt that was created in the Spanish press, both in his professional career and his personal life, from his departure to America in 1799, until his death in 1859. This kind of analysis needs to look into two topics: firstly, the aspects of his personality, his life, his work and his ideas mentioned or emphasized in publications published in those years and secondly, the facets that are not shown; both aspects will form the image that the authors intended to project.In both cases this essay attempts to interpret the intentions that might have been behind the «focus» used by the different publications. As part of this analysis, special importance has been given to the importance attributed to Humboldt in relation to two important events: the Spanish American colonial movement for independence and the beginning of what is nowadays called «modernity».This phase of Spanish History coincides with a changing and complex political-social context, which explains the need to consider not only the moderate press published in Spain under absolutist censorship, but also to include the liberal press of the opposition leaders exiled in London, in order to be able to see the different perception that these papers offered of Alexander von Humboldt.

Keywords

• Alexander von Humboldt
• Sandra Rebok
• Spanish Press
• 1799-1859
• Spanish American colonial movement