SES seminar November
SES Seminar Explores the History of Humans and Bees
On November 20, SES will host a seminar examining humanity’s relationship with honeybees. Angélica Márquez-Osuna, PhD, assistant professor in Loyola’s Department of History, will discuss the history of bees and beekeeping in the Americas.
Join the seminar:
- November 20, 2024
- 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Refreshments in the SES atrium
- 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Presentation in SES Room 124
Since the 20th century, the honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been almost the only bee species used for apiculture worldwide.
Angélica Márquez-Osuna is an assistant professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. Her research and courses focus on Latin American history. She holds a PhD in history of science from Harvard University. She earned an MA in history from the University of California Santa Barbara and an MA in anthropological sciences from Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (México). She received her BA in communication studies from ITESO University (México).
For the SES November seminar, Professor Márquez-Osuna will deliver a talk titled “Coexisting with Honeybees: A Historical Overview of the Bee World in the Americas.”
There are 20,000 bee species in the world. They are natural pollinators, but not all produce honey for human consumption, so only a few have been used in domestic hives by societies throughout history. However, since the 20th century, the honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been almost the only bee species used for apiculture worldwide. Although native to Europe, Africa, and part of Asia, it is now found in every corner of the globe as a result of its deliberate introduction to places such as the Americas.
Professor Márquez-Osuna’s presentation will explore the history of the spread of the honeybee in the Americas and the implications of the modern beekeeping model in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, a place with a long history of human-bee relationships. She will discuss the history of beekeeping and what it can tell us about broader social processes such as colonization, the industrialization of agricultural landscapes, and our current concerns about the survival of honeybees.
Angélica Márquez-Osuna is an assistant professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. Her research and courses focus on Latin American history. She holds a PhD in history of science from Harvard University. She earned an MA in history from the University of California Santa Barbara and an MA in anthropological sciences from Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (México). She received her BA in communication studies from ITESO University (México).
For the SES November seminar, Professor Márquez-Osuna will deliver a talk titled “Coexisting with Honeybees: A Historical Overview of the Bee World in the Americas.”
There are 20,000 bee species in the world. They are natural pollinators, but not all produce honey for human consumption, so only a few have been used in domestic hives by societies throughout history. However, since the 20th century, the honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been almost the only bee species used for apiculture worldwide. Although native to Europe, Africa, and part of Asia, it is now found in every corner of the globe as a result of its deliberate introduction to places such as the Americas.
Professor Márquez-Osuna’s presentation will explore the history of the spread of the honeybee in the Americas and the implications of the modern beekeeping model in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, a place with a long history of human-bee relationships. She will discuss the history of beekeeping and what it can tell us about broader social processes such as colonization, the industrialization of agricultural landscapes, and our current concerns about the survival of honeybees.