The Burbank Project

Xan Chacko
Anthropology
UC Davis

The goal of this research was to explore biological theories of the early nineteenth century using the example of Luther Burbank. Burbank is a very important character in the history of California. This research followed the taking up of Mendelian genetics by botanists of the University of California for their divergent aims and research outcomes. However Burbank is a case that resists definition and categorization. An inventor of plant variety, Burbank’s method incorporated a knowledge of botany and breeding technology, but how much his work was affected by Mendelian genetics is unknown.