Commissioned institutional histories tend to be dry and self-congratulatory, dull work for anonymous authors and often even duller reading. Yet The Establishment of Science in America: 150 Years of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, released last December, transcends the genre.
That is because it is a history by three noted historians of science who see no value in protecting institutions: Bruce V. Lewenstein, associate professor of communication and science and technology studies at Cornell; Michael M. Sokal, professor of history at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; and Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, professor of the history of science and technology at the University of Minnesota. The authors were feted at a reception Feb. 20 during the annual meeting of the AAAS at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.
"They did not require us to produce a laudatory book, so there are plenty of warts here," said Lewenstein. "Yes, we also wrote about the good things. But basically we were allowed to say what we thought had happened in the association, and that's important. It helps the book get beyond that dull institutional history."
Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the largest general organization of scientists in America, with 145,000 members from around the world. It is best known for publishing the leading peer-reviewed magazine Science and holding the world's largest annual scientific gathering.
One reason, perhaps, why the book is insightful and cohesive is because the writing process was collaborative.
"After we had all written our first drafts, we realized that we actually had some recurring themes," said Lewenstein. "Things like the definition of democracy the difference between a democratic ideal, which is a very American ideal, and an elite science and the idea of the professionalization of science, from becoming professional scientists to the notion of professionals with some responsibilities beyond their narrow technical work. We found that we could tell the story in a way for those themes to recur."
The authors were matched to their specialties, each being the primary writer for a given 50-year span. Kohlstedt, whose doctoral dissertation was on the association's founding, wrote the chapter "Creating a Forum for Science: AAAS in the Nineteenth Century." Sokal, the author of a biography of James McKeen Cattell, editor of Science from the late 1800s until 1944, wrote the chapter "Promoting Science in a New Century: The Middle Years of the AAAS." Lewenstein, whose doctoral dissertation dealt with the AAAS and the public understanding of science, authored the chapter "Shifting Science from People to Programs: AAAS in the Postwar Years."
The authors also drew upon original research. "I thought I knew more about the history than I did, and so, initially, I thought I would write it from what I know, and I would start with the draft of my dissertation chapter and then just sort of tack some stuff on," said Lewenstein. "I ended up having to do a whole lot more original research than I had planned."
The book was commissioned in early 1997 with the initial goal of publication in early 1998, although writing delays pushed back that timetable. "The original thought was that the AAAS might publish it itself," Lewenstein said. "Then as it became clear that the book was better than just an institutional history, we pushed hard to have them get it published by an outside publisher, because they can market it better."
He added: "It will certainly go into research libraries as a research text and be used within the AAAS. We also have some hope that it might be used as a supplementary text in courses on the history of American science. We actually think it would fit well, especially for those looking for an institutional perspective."
The Establishment of Science in America (ISBN 0-8135-2705-8) is published by Rutgers University Press. It is available in hardcover for $35.
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