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Book ID: CBB383766787

Alexander Williamson: A Victorian Chemist and the Making of Modern Japan (2021)

Inuzuka, Takaaki (Author)
Haruko Laurie (Translator)

Haruko Laurie
UCL Press
Publication date: 2021
Language: English

ISBN: 9781787359321

Publication Date: 2021
Physical Details: 146

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Chemistry International relations Scientific communities; interprofessional relations Biographies Cross-national interaction Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence Modernization 19th century England Japan Williamson, Alexander William University College, London

Alexander Williamson was a leading scientist and professor of chemistry at University College London in the late nineteenth century. He taught and cared for visiting Japanese students, assisting them with their goal of modernizing Japan. This short, accessible biography explores his contribution to nineteenth-century science, as well as his lasting impact on Japanese society. In 1863 five students from the Chōshū clan, with a desperate desire to learn from the West, made their way to England. They were put in the care of Williamson and his wife. Their mission was to learn about cutting-edge Western technology, science, economics, and politics. When they returned home, they rapidly became leading figures in Japanese life. The remarkable story of the part Williamson and University College London played in the modernization of Japan is little known today. This biography will promote a deeper understanding of Williamson’s scientific innovations and his legacy for Anglo-Japanese relations.

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Reviewed By

Review Jonathan Simon (2022) Review of "Alexander Williamson: A Victorian Chemist and the Making of Modern Japan". Metascience: An International Review Journal for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science (pp. 439-440). unapi

Review Alan J. Rocke (2022) Review of "Alexander Williamson: A Victorian Chemist and the Making of Modern Japan". Ambix: Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (pp. 195-196). unapi

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