| Science and the American Century: Readings from Isis Contributor(s): Kohlstedt, Sally Gregory (Editor), Kaiser, David (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0226925145 ISBN-13: 9780226925141 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $36.63 Product Type: Paperback Published: March 2013 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | History - History | United States - 20th Century - Technology & Engineering | History |
| Dewey: 509.730 |
| LCCN: 2012033424 |
| Physical Information: 1.2" H x 6.7" W x 9.9" (1.75 lbs) 488 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The twentieth century was one of astonishing change in science, especially as pursued in the United States. Against a backdrop of dramatic political and economic shifts brought by world wars, intermittent depressions, sporadic and occasionally massive increases in funding, and expanding private patronage, this scientific work fundamentally reshaped everyday life. Science and the American Century offers some of the most significant contributions to the study of the history of science, technology, and medicine during the twentieth century, all drawn from the pages of the journal Isis. Fourteen essays from leading scholars are grouped into three sections, each presented in roughly chronological order. The first section charts several ways in which our knowledge of nature was cultivated, revealing how scientific practitioners and the public alike grappled with definitions of the "natural" as they absorbed and refracted global information. The essays in the second section investigate the changing attitudes and fortunes of scientists during and after World War II. The final section documents the intricate ways that science, as it advanced, became intertwined with social policies and the law. This important and useful book provides a thoughtful and detailed overview for scholars and students of American history and the history of science, as well as for scientists and others who want to better understand modern science and science in America. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kohlstedt, Sally Gregory: - Sally Gregory Kohlstedt directs the Program in History of Science and Technology at the University of Minnesota. Her teaching and research focus primarily on the history of science in American culture, with particular attention to museums, public education, and women and gender issues in science. In 2009 she edited, with Maria Rentetzi, "Gender and Networking in Twentieth-Century Physical Sciences", as special issue of "Centaurus". Current projects involve analysis of the use of texts in the object-rich subject of nature study, an account of the Smithsonian Institution, national identity, and the American West in the late nineteenth century, and an" Isis" reader.Kaiser, David: - David Kaiser is the Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of many books, including How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival, and is coeditor of Groovy Science: Knowledge, Innovation, and American Counterculture, also published by the University of Chicago Press. |
