Networks within networks
Science is dependent on communication - networks of patronage,
training, exchange and information. These networks often took
on an imperial form, centred on the scientific institutions of
Britain - Australian scientists were consigned to the periphery.
Thus even an extremely well-credentialled scientist like Ferdinand
von Mueller found himself at the wrong end of the exchange system
- unable to prepare the Flora Australis from Australia!
But Mueller himself was a centre for patronage and exchange, maintaining
an active and diverse network of collectors around the country.
When we examine the centre/periphery model closely we find a more
complex picture - networks within networks. Who gains access to
these various centres of authority and why? What about women scientists?
What about amateurs? What roles do they find within these networks? |