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Book ID: CBB218438079

Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920 (2019)

Poskett, James (Author)

University of Chicago Press
Publication date: 2019
Language: English

ISBN: 9780226626758

Publication Date: 2019
Physical Details: 373

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Science and society Transmission of material objects Material culture Global history Science and race Phrenology 20th century, early 19th century

Phrenology was the most popular mental science of the Victorian age. From American senators to Indian social reformers, this new mental science found supporters around the globe. Materials of the Mind tells the story of how phrenology changed the world—and how the world changed phrenology. This is a story of skulls from the Arctic, plaster casts from Haiti, books from Bengal, and letters from the Pacific. Drawing on far-flung museum and archival collections, and addressing sources in six different languages, Materials of the Mind is an impressively innovative account of science in the nineteenth century as part of global history. It shows how the circulation of material culture underpinned the emergence of a new materialist philosophy of the mind, while also demonstrating how a global approach to history can help us reassess issues such as race, technology, and politics today.

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Reviewed By

Review Moritz von Brescius (2022) Review of "Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920". American Historical Review (pp. 1563-1564). unapi

Review Fenneke Sysling (2021) Review of "Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 407-408). unapi

Review Erica Lilleleht (2020) Review of "Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920". Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (pp. 134-136). unapi

Review Emily Hayes (2019) Review of "Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920". British Journal for the History of Science (pp. 726-728). unapi

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