The Public History of Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine: Prospects and Issues

这项建议响应了交叉研究理事会计划“互联社区”和AHRC新出现的主题：“文化中的科学”和“关心未来”。今天，历史休闲追求的流行意义重大。调查显示，超过50%的英国成年人表示有兴趣了解更多的家族史。电视历史节目通常有200万观众，历史杂志每月发行量为8万份。这个研究网络将探索这一现象的潜力，使科技馆能够制作新的历史展览和活动，更有效地展示和解释他们的历史藏品。同时，它还将研究这些博物馆在成功交流大学科学史方面的潜力。之所以是及时的，与博物馆和大学都有关。在数字媒体具有越来越多的文化存在的时候，人们对博物馆收藏的实物的可理解性和价值提出了质疑。尤其是对科学博物馆来说，藏品可能与观众的体验变得更加遥远，因为参观者对机器的熟悉程度在19世纪产生了伟大的博物馆的世界里很常见，甚至在30年前更多的人在制造业工作时也是如此。由于当今社会和文化的变化，博物馆也在改变他们的运作方式，包括减少对权威的尊重，增加非正式的--特别是在线--交流，以及对参与文化生产的更大期望。该网络的一个核心问题将是科学博物馆如何利用普遍普及的历史所提供的机会，应对因物质和机械文化地位的变化以及社会的更广泛变化而面临的明显的策展工作危机。(讲习班1)大学内部有两种不同的趋势与这些问题有关：文化消费在过去一代人中一直是许多人文学科青睐的活动领域，例如在文学的读者反应批评、观众对运动图像媒体的研究以及对科学公共文化的历史研究中。在这里，已经在大学里用理论和历史的方法探索了当今博物馆参观者体验中所体现的各种问题，并形成了相关的观点和分析实践。这些都是对博物馆实证性受众研究的补充。另一方面，包括科学史在内的人文学科共同努力，确保它们形成的新理解--传统上是通过学术渠道传播的--通过包括博物馆在内的公共媒体提供。该网络将探索物质文化的潜力--通常不是科学学术史的一个重要方面--以提高学者、博物馆工作人员和具有积极历史热情的公众之间的参与程度。(讲习班2)最后，该网络将讨论与艺术博物馆或考古博物馆相比，它的问题和关注是否是科技博物馆所特有的。在一般文化中，科学史与今天的科学史的认同--而不是与更广泛的历史--是普遍的，但值得进行批判性的审视。有争议的是，科学为许多门外汉带来的负面联想可能会减少他们对科学历史的接触。相反，学术历史对科学的社会性质的强调可以帮助公众参与到目前的科学中来。历史技术的许多领域都存在着狂热的群体，这表明外行人很有可能找到欣赏科学技术历史的方法。(工作坊3)

This proposal responds to the cross-Research Council Programme 'Connected Communities' and to AHRC emerging themes: 'Science in Culture' and 'Care for the Future'. The popularity of historical leisure pursuits today is significant. Surveys show that more than 50% British adults express interest in learning more about family history. Television history programmes often have two million viewers, and historical magazines have monthly circulations of 80,000. This research network will explore the potential of this phenomenon for museums of science and technology to produce new kinds of historical exhibitions and events that display and interpret their historical collections more effectively. Simultaneously, it will look at the potential of these museums for successful history of science knowledge exchange from universities. The reasons why this is timely relate to both museums and universities. At a time when digital media have increasing cultural presence, questions are begged about the comprehensibility and therefore value of museums' collections of physical objects. For science museums in particular, collections may be becoming more remote from audience experience as visitors lack the familiarity with machines that was commonplace in the 19thc world that produced the great museums, or even 30 years ago when more people worked in manufacturing. Museums are also modifying how they operate because of changes in today's society and culture, including reduced deference to authority, increased informality of - especially online - communication, and greater expectation of participation in cultural production. A core concern of this network will be how science museums can draw on the opportunities provided by the popularity of history in general to respond to the palpable crisis in curatorial practice threatened by this changing status of material and mechanical culture and broader changes in society. (Workshop 1) Two different currents within the universities are pertinent to these issues: Cultural consumption has been a favoured area of activity for many humanities disciplines over the last generation, for example in the reader-response criticism in literature, audience studies of moving image media, and the historical study of the public culture of science. Here, the types of issues exemplified in the visitor experience of museums today have already been explored using theoretical and historical approaches in the universities, where relevant perspectives and analytical practice have been developed. These are complementary to the empirical audience research of museums. On the other hand, the humanities, including the history of science, share an impetus to ensure that the new understandings they develop - conventionally distributed through academic channels - are made available through public media, including museums. The network will explore the potential of material culture - not often a prominent aspect of academic history of science - to produce heightened levels of engagement between academics, museum staff and members of the public with active historical enthusiasms. (Workshop 2)Finally, the network will discuss whether its issues and concerns are peculiar to science and technology museums as compared with museums of art or archaeology, for example. In general culture, identification of the history of science with today's science - rather than with broader history - is widespread, but worthy of critical scrutiny. It is arguable that the negative associations that science has acquired for many lay people may serve to reduce their engagement with its history. Contrariwise, the emphasis of academic history on the social nature of science can assist public engagement with science in the present. The existence of enthusiast groups in many areas of historical technology suggests that it is eminently possible for lay people to find ways to enjoy the history of science and technology. (Workshop 3)