Wragge
Networks within networks by David Nugent & Kate Murphy
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?
Networks within networks by David Nugent & Kate Murphy
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?