Communities of peers? Sociability and the making of science in the twentieth-century Atlantic world KU Leuven
Social relations are central to science. Every step in research, from idea to publication, involves social interaction. To discuss findings and agree on standards, scientists set up societies and debate at conferences. When evaluating each other’s work, they commit to shared attitudes (e.g. leaving out personal interests). The concept of ‘sociability’ refers to these organizational formats and codes of conduct, which steer the functioning of ...