Ellis, H. (2014) Knowledge, character and professionalisation in nineteenth-century British science. History of Education, 43 (6). pp. 777-792. ISSN 0046-760X
Abstract
Historians have frequently referred to the British Association for the Advancement of Science as an institution that had the professionalisation of British science as its chief aim. This article seeks to complicate this picture by asking what, if any, concept of ‘professionalisation’ would have been understood by nineteenth-century actors. In particular, it seeks to move away from traditional functionalist understandings of professionalisation, as the possession of specialist knowledge and expertise, and consider instead broader definitions, which incorporate the power relationships and identities constructed through discourses of professionalisation. It argues that it was just as important for professional scientists in nineteenth-century Britain to possess a particular type of character (independent, rational, self-controlled) closely identified with popular ideals of elite masculinity and developed through a thorough scientific education. It also reinterprets the growing popularity of scientific internationalism, with its emphasis on the independence of the scientist (from state control) as a crucial part of this masculinising discourse of professionalisation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2014 Taylor & Francis. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in History of Education. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Science; professionalisation; character; masculinity; Victorian |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Education (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 Sep 2016 15:48 |
Last Modified: | 03 Nov 2017 11:36 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0046760X.2014.964006 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/0046760X.2014.964006 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:104906 |