Dissertation Research: Science as "Useful Knowledge:" The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge and Science Popularization in 19th C. Britain

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research project examines the diversity of meanings of utility in nineteenth century Britain as exhibited by the producers and readers of the Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). It will attempt to prove that there was a diversity of ideologies concerning the utility of science held by the SDUK committee members, authors, publishers, provincial members, as well as working class readers. It will also show that the idea of what constituted the utility of science varied depending on the media (magazine, mechanics' institutes, and serial publications) used by the SDUK to promote public education. The number and diversity of undertakings of the SDUK from mechanics' institutes to almanac publication reflect the various ways in which the SDUK attempted to promote and extend its vision of useful knowledge. Science was a key element of many of the SDUK ventures, thus making the SDUK one of the central agents for the popularization of science in the first half of the nineteenth century. At the heart of science popularization was the idea that science is useful in some way to either the popularizers, the audience or both. How science would be useful for different groups was a controversial issue. Analyzing the unique attributes of the Penny Magazine as the medium for the exchange of ideas about the utility of science forms the most innovative contribution of this dissertation research project. The researcher argues that the concept of utility had different meanings within different media due to both media format and intended audience. Frequency of publication, length of articles, and cost of printing combined with concerns over the potentially unlimited readership to determine the contents of the Penny Magazine. In trying to attract and keep a wide and varied audience, the Penny Magazine had to balance education with entertainment and readers' expectations with the SDUK's intentions. The communications circuit of the Penny Magazine - Brougham, Knight, the SDUK publications committee, authors, provincial SDUK distribution outlets, and readers - embodied all of the various, and sometimes conflicting, ideas of the utility of science. By examining this circuit, this dissertation research project will expand historians' understanding of utility in the nineteenth century and will show the importance of media in expressing the diversity of ideologies surrounding the utility of science. The main sources for this project will be the SDUK publications, all available in the U.S., and the extensive SDUK archives at the University College of London. This archive contains all financial, editorial and organizational records, as well as all incoming and outgoing correspondence. The researcher will also make use of the Brougham archives, also located at University College of London. In order to understand the meanings of utility for provincial members of the SDUK and to complete her comparison of the Penny Magazine to mechanics' institutes, the researcher will make use of the local archives in Manchester, Leeds and possibly other cities.