Civilizing Mission
Exact Sciences and French Overseas Expansion, 1830-1940
Lewis Pyenson(Author)
Johns Hopkins University Press
Published on 1. June 1993
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-8018-4421-8 (ISBN)
Description
For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, France maintained its position on the world stage by undertaking cultural projects abroad, both in its colonies and in foreign spheres of influence. From Shanghai to Madagascar to Quito, French scientific norms dominated institutions of higher learning. In "Civilizing Mission", Lewis Pyenson offers a reappraisal of French intellectual expansion during the crucial period from the conquest of Algeria to the fall of the Third Republic. Drawing on sources in a dozen languages and archives on five continents, Pyenson examines how the practitioners of the "exact", as opposed to "descriptive" sciences, performed in relative isolation - how, in one sense, science was driven by its own imperatives. At the same time, Pyenson explores the connections between scientists and the geopolitical realities of their time, showing the ways in which even refined scientific study in such fields as physics and astronomy ultimately contributed to the business of colonialism.
Pyenson concludes that the centralized French scientific activity, organized and - to a significant extent - financed under military administration, set the tone for what we now call the military-scientific establishment. As historians of science begin to examine indigenous work in places North Americans and Europeans consider to be far-flung corners of the world, this book aims to provide a new understanding of a time when "French intellectuals engaged in a mission to civilize the world".
Pyenson concludes that the centralized French scientific activity, organized and - to a significant extent - financed under military administration, set the tone for what we now call the military-scientific establishment. As historians of science begin to examine indigenous work in places North Americans and Europeans consider to be far-flung corners of the world, this book aims to provide a new understanding of a time when "French intellectuals engaged in a mission to civilize the world".
Reviews / Votes
"A fascinating narrative."--'MESA Bulletin' "Pyenson is the world's leading scholar and most prolific writer on the interaction of science and imperialism...An original, seriously researched and controversial work."'--Physics Today' "One outstanding aspect of Pyenson's work is the originality of his scholarship: systematic exploration of new material based almost entirely on archival sources he discovered in repositories around the world...All three books in Pyenson's trilogy are attractively presented, but this volume is distinguished by nearly fifty high-quality photographs of the people and places under discussion...These three volumes demonstrate Lewis Pyenson's diligent and meticulous erudition and confirm his pre-eminence within that scholarly arena."'--Journal of Asian Studies'More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
47 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
750 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-4421-8 (9780801844218)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification