American astronomy : community, careers, and power, 1859-1940 / John Lankford ; with the assistance of Ricky L. Slavings.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lankford, John, 1934- author.

Slavings, Ricky L., author.

Contributor:

University of Chicago. Press, publisher.

Mark B. Adams Emergence of Modern Science Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astronomy--United States--History--19th century.

Astronomy.

Astronomy--United States--History--20th century.

History.

United States.

Penn Provenance:

Adams, Mark B. (former owner) (Adams copy)

Physical Description:

xxvi, 447 pages, 1 unnumbered page. : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Summary:

Depending upon and interacting with colleagues and competitors, scientists build their careers and power within communities of their peers. To understand scientists and the institutions they construct (such as the reward system), one must first unravel the complex structures and relationships that define scientific communities. In this collective biography of the more than 1,200 individuals who engaged in astronomical research, teaching, or practice in the United States between 1859 and 1940, John Lankford paints a detailed portrait of this scientific community. Focusing on a period that saw fundamental changes in the nature and content of astronomy, including the rise of astrophysics, Lankford has compiled remarkable data, such as the number of people with and without doctorates, the number who taught in colleges or universities versus those involved in industrial or government work, and the number of women versus men. He also addresses the crucial question of power within the community - what it meant, which astronomers had it, and what they did with it. Drawing on more than a decade of archival research and quantitative analysis, Lankford presents his data in concise tables and figures yet takes care, through biographical sketches, to focus on the human beings the data represent. This dual approach convincingly illustrates how the changing structure of a scientific community can alter both the career trajectories of its members and the nature of the scientific research they choose to pursue.

Contents:

1. On Writing the History of a Scientific Community

2. The American Astronomical Community in 1859: A Benchmark

3. The New Astronomy: Identity and Conflict

4. The Education of Astronomers

5. The Changing Scientific Career

6. Career Management in Science

7. Power and Conflict in a Scientific Community

8. The Reward System in a Modern Scientific Community

9. Science and Gender: Women in the American Astronomical Community

10. Terminus Ad Quem: American Astronomy in 1940

11. Astronomy Compared.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 405-432) and index.

Local Notes:

Kislak Center copy gifted by Dr. Mark B. Adams in 2018.

Kislak Center Adams copy retains dust jacket.

ISBN:

0226468860

OCLC:

35086167