The Popularization of Science and Technology (19th-20th centuries)

Description

This project aims at launching the bases of a survey and systematic analysis of sources devoted to the popularization of science and technology in Portugal, between the 18th and the 19th century. A primary goal is the understanding of the ways in which science and technology were disseminated among non-specialised audiences and the perceptions of these audiences about the role and importance of science and technology in Portuguese society.

A second aim is associated with how this work is positioned in a European dimension: the concept of Europe, the feeling of belonging to the European cultural space is deeply embedded in daily practices and experiences associated with science and technology, not so much by the intellectual elites, but by common men  and women.

The portrayal of the process of sedimentation of a scientific and technological culture in Portuguese society during a period of 200 years, followed by a transnational comparative approach seems to us a crucial project, not only to the development of research on the history of science and technology in Portugal, but also to the understanding of today’s reality.

More specifically, this research project will focus on: (i) publications which saw themselves as devoted to the dissemination of science and technology; (ii) generalist and specialized periodicals (journals and newspapers) devoted to the popularization of science and technology