The Historiography of Contemporary Science, Technology, and Medicine: Writing Recent Science (Routledge Studies in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine)

As historians of science increasingly turn to work on recent (post 1945) science, the historiographical and methodological problems associated with the history of contemporary science are debated with growing frequency and urgency. Bringing together authorities on the history, historiography and methodology of recent and contemporary science, this book reviews the problems facing historians of technology, contemporary science and medicine, and explores new ways forward. With contributions from key researchers in the field, the text covers topics that will be of ever increasing interest to historians of post-war science, including the difficulties of accessing and using secret archival material, the interactions between archivists, historians and scientists, and the politics of evidence and historical accounts. This Book Of Essays Presents Insightful Historical Analyses Of Issues In The Sciences, In Technology And In Medicine Our Contemporary World Is Confronting. It Is About What We Know--and Don't Yet Know--about Science, Technology, And Medicine In The Recent Past, And Addresses New Methods That Historians Can Use To Explore These Developments. For Historians, Philosophers, And Sociologistis Of Science, Technology And Medicine, The Book Will Be A Valuable Guide On How To Make Their Discipline More Relevant By Their Researches And In Their Teaching. Introduction : What We Know, What We Don't And Why It Matters -- Where Are We Now? : The Challenges Of Writing Recent Science -- Why Science Writers Should Forget Carl Sagan And Read Thomas Kuhn : On The Troubled Conscience Of A Journalist -- The History Of Now : Reflections On Being A Contemporary Archivist -- Whose History? : Ethics, Lawsuits, National Security, And The Writing Of Contemporary History -- The Politics Of Commissioned Histories (revisited) -- From Behind The Fence : Threading The Labyrinths Of Classified Historical Research -- On Ethics, Scientists, And Democracy : Writing The History Of Eugenic Sterilization -- Witnesses To History : Issues In Biography And Ethics -- What Is The Use Of Writing Lives Of Recent Scientists? -- Scholarship As Self-knowledge : A Case Study -- Secrecy, Politics, And Science : Probing The Meaning Of The Cold War -- The Politics Of Phosphorus-32 : A Cold War Fable Based On Fact -- Secrecy And Science Revisited : From Politics To Historical Practice And Back -- History Detectives : New Ways Of Approaching Modern Science, Medicine, And Technology -- The Conflict Of Memories And Documents : Dilemmas And Pragmatics Of Oral History -- Reading Photographs : Photographs As Evidence In Writing The History Of Modern Science -- New Voices : Neglected And Novel Perspectives -- What We Still Don't Know About South-north Technoscientific Exchange : North-centrism, Scientific Diffusion And The Social Studies Of Science -- Witnessing The Witnesses : Potentials And Pitfalls Of The Witness Seminar In The History Of Twentieth Century Medicine -- The Mutt Historian : The Perils And Opportunities Of Doing History Of Science On-line. Edited By Ronald E. Doel And Thomas Söderqvist. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Series-Title......Page 3 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 10 Contributors......Page 12 1. Introduction: What we know, what we do not—and why it matters......Page 18 2. Why science writers should forget Carl Sagan and read Thomas Kuhn: On the troubled conscience of a journalist......Page 32 3. The history of now: Reflections on being a “contemporary archivist”......Page 48 4. The politics of commissioned histories (revisited)......Page 62 5. From behind the fence: Threading the Labyrinths of classified historical research......Page 84 6. On ethics, scientists, and democracy: Writing the history of eugenic sterilization......Page 98 7. What is the use of writing lives of recent scientists?......Page 116 8. Scholarship as self-knowledge: A case study......Page 145 9. The politics of phosphorus-32: A Cold War fable based on fact......Page 170 10. Secrecy and science revisited: From politics to historical practice and back......Page 189 11. The conflict of memories and documents: Dilemmas and pragmatics of oral history......Page 204 12. Reading photographs: Photographs as evidence in writing the history of modern science......Page 218 13. What we still do not know about South–North technoscientific exchange: North-centrism, scientific diffusion, and the social studies of science......Page 256 14. Witnessing the witnesses: Potentials and pitfalls of the witness seminar in the history of twentieth-century medicine......Page 277 15. “The mutt historian”: The perils and opportunities of doing history of science on-line......Page 296 Index......Page 316 Introduction: what we know, what we don't and why it matters Where are we now? the challenges of writing recent science Why science writers should forget Carl Sagan and read Thomas Kuhn: on the troubled conscience of a journalist The history of now: reflections on being a "contemporary archivist" Whose history? ethics, lawsuits, national security, and the writing of contemporary history The politics of commissioned histories (revisited) From behind the fence: threading the labyrinths of classified historical research On ethics, scientists, and democracy: writing the history of Eugenic sterilization Witnesses to history: issues in biography and ethics What's the use of writing lives of recent scientists? Scholarship as self-knowledge: a case study Secrecy, politics, and science: probing the meaning of the cold war The politics of phosphorus-32: a cold war fable based on fact Secrecy and science revisited: from politics to historical practice and back History detectives: new ways of approaching modern science, medicine, and technology The conflict of memories and documents: dilemmas and pragmatics of oral history Reading photographs: photographs as evidence in writing the history of modern science New voices: omitted and novel perspectives What we still don't know about south-north technoscientific exchange: north-centrism, scientific diffusion and the social studies of science Witnessing the witnesses: potentials and pitfalls of the witness seminar in the history of twentieth century medicine The mutt historian: the perils and opportunities of doing history of science on-line. As historians of science increasingly turn to work on recent (post 1945) science, the historiographical and methodological problems associated with the history of contemporary science are debated with growing frequency and urgency. This book brings together authorities on the history, historiography and methodology of recent and contemporary science to review the problems facing historians of contemporary science, technology and medicine and to explore new ways forward. The chapters explore topics which will be of ever increasing interest to historians of postwar science, including the difficulties of accessing and using secret archival material, the interactions between archivists, historians and scientists and the politics of evidence and historical accounts