Book ID: CBB922082803

Science Museums in Transition: Cultures of Display in Nineteenth-Century Britain and America (2017)

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Berkowitz, Carin (Editor)
Lightman, Bernard V. (Editor)


University of Pittsburgh Press


Publication Date: 2017
Physical Details: 368
Language: English

The nineteenth century witnessed a dramatic shift in the display and dissemination of natural knowledge across Britain and America, from private collections of miscellaneous artifacts and objects to public exhibitions and state-sponsored museums. The science museum as we know it—an institution of expert knowledge built to inform a lay public—was still very much in formation during this dynamic period. Science Museums in Transition provides a nuanced, comparative study of the diverse places and spaces in which science was displayed at a time when science and spectacle were still deeply intertwined; when leading naturalists, curators, and popular showmen were debating both how to display their knowledge and how and whether they should profit from scientific work; and when ideals of nationalism, class politics, and democracy were permeating the museum’s walls.             Contributors examine a constellation of people, spaces, display practices, experiences, and politics that worked not only to define the museum, but to shape public science and scientific knowledge. Taken together, the chapters in this volume span the Atlantic, exploring private and public museums, short and long-term exhibitions, and museums built for entertainment, education, and research, and in turn raise a host of important questions, about expertise, and about who speaks for nature and for history.

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Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB922082803/

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Authors & Contributors
Sullivan, Jill A.
Plunkett, John
Kember, Joe
Jacques Ayer
Philippe Wagneur
Sherra Murphy
Concepts
Museums
Science and society
Natural history
Public understanding of science
Communication of scientific ideas
Visual representation; visual communication
Time Periods
19th century
21st century
20th century
20th century, early
18th century
17th century
Places
United States
Great Britain
Dublin (Ireland)
England
Nova Scotia
London (England)
Institutions
Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève
Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Dublin Natural History Museum
Royal Dublin Society
British Museum. Natural History
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