Basic and Applied Research
The Language of Science Policy in the Twentieth Century
David Kaldewey editor Désirée Schauz editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Berghahn Books
Published:25th Apr '18
Should be back in stock very soon
The distinction between basic and applied research was central to twentieth-century science and policymaking, and if this framework has been contested in recent years, it nonetheless remains ubiquitous in both scientific and public discourse. Employing a transnational, diachronic perspective informed by historical semantics, this volume traces the conceptual history of the basic–applied distinction from the nineteenth century to today, taking stock of European developments alongside comparative case studies from the United States and China. It shows how an older dichotomy of pure and applied science was reconceived in response to rapid scientific progress and then further transformed by the geopolitical circumstances of the postwar era.
“Overall, this edited collection represents a greatly enriching contribution to conceptual history that raises questions of methodology and concepts and analyses these successfully from various national perspectives.”• NTM History of Science, Technology & Medicine
“The great merit of the editors’ pluralist approach is that they allow a range of distinguished international contributors free rein to discuss the topics in depth for the United States, Germany, and Britain, with invaluable comparative discussion of Hungary and China too…a rich and intriguing Collection.”• Isis
“This is an important and timely contribution to the conceptual history of science in the twentieth century, with a laudably thorough discussion of methodological and conceptual concerns.”• Julian Bauer, European University Association
“Concepts reflect ideologies and policies as much as they shape them, bridging the gap between expectations and reality. This transnational probe into the "basic/applied" rhetoric of science policy discourse is a unique and overdue analysis that will contribute to our understanding of past and present relations among science, innovation and the political contexts in which they develop.”• Peter Weingart, Bielefeld University
ISBN: 9781785338106
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
312 pages