Literature and society in Medieval France: The mirror and the image, 1100–1500

Society has to be understood as a process of fast changes (revolutions) and slow transformations (reformism). This is what has been happening in Central Europe, where the big changes of 1989–1990 were preceded by several small social, political and ideological transformations. When analysing Central European societies, one should also remember that there is an ‘official’ society and a ‘hidden’ society.     

The royal Scottish geographical society 1884–1959: Early days of the society

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society was formed at a public meeting in Edinburgh in October, 1884, and in October, 1959 completed seventy‐five years activity. To mark the occasion a Reception was held in the Music Hall, George Street, Edinburgh, on October 22nd, with H.R.H. Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark as the principal guest. The Council invited the Honorary Secretary, Mr Donald G. Moir, F.R.S.G.S. to recall the events which led to the founding of the Society, and its early activities ; it was also resolved to publish with this article a list of the Society's Office Bearers since 1884.     

The Rose – its Beauty and its Science

Abstract

The rose, which first appeared on Earth millions of years ago, was proclaimed by the early Greek poets to be the Queen of the Flowers. Even today it is regarded as the world's favourite flower. The reasons why the rose captivated man, influencing literature, art and many other of his activities, are discussed. Reference is made to its remarkable sweet fragrance, the extraordinary diversity of forms now available, providing varieties suitable for many conditions and requirements, the remarkable palette of flower colours, and the exquisite beauty of the bloom. Scientific work, from the early botanical and taxonomic studies to the sophisticated modern investigations, are referred to, special emphasis being laid on selected topics like flower colour. The valuable attribute of rose fragrance is discussed. The prospect of development of cultivars resistant to frost injury, diseases and pests, and those suitable for tropical areas, is reviewed. It is hoped that the spectacular recent advances in genetics and biotechnology will help the rose to maintain its special position in man's life. In September 1986 the US Congress named the rose as the national flower of the United States as it had no floral emblem before.     

Science and Politics in the Hawaiian Kingdom: The Progress of the Honolulu Social Science Association, 1882–87

The growth in studies of Indigenous responses to the gradual foreign control and American annexation of the Hawaiian Islands has provided an important corrective to dominant trends in earlier Hawaiian historiography, but there has been comparatively little recent work on the attitudes and values of those identified as colonizers. In particular, how Western ideas were understood and appropriated within the context of Hawaiian politics is not well known. This article extends scholarship demonstrating how in colonizing contexts, ideas about science could be mobilized as a moral resource and scientific societies could become distinct social formations. Specifically, the article shows how, during the pre-annexation period, the predominantly White and Hawaiian-born members of the Honolulu Social Science Association gathered in the performance of scientific modernity, with an implicit yet overarching political aim.     

The demon of technology,mass society,and atomic physics in West Germany, 1945–1957

In the cultural‐political literature of post‐1945 West Germany, atomic energy often functioned as the most potent image of a “demon of technology” fraught with both enormous potential and enormous danger. These critiques of techno‐science also represented a traditional critique of “mass society,” whose erstwhile anti‐western sentiments now had to be sublimated. As the Cold War developed, discussion shifted to ambivalence about Germany's place in the struggle between superpowers, and the “demon of technology” sentiment shifted away from the conservative end of the spectrum. The controversy over the “Göttingen Eighteen” anti‐armaments manifesto of nuclear physicists is indicative of these shifts.     

Between Spectacle and Science: The Aurora in Central Europe, 1870s–1880s

Abstract

The article discusses the return and reception of two Austro-Hungarian arctic expeditions in 1874 and 1883, respectively. Both expeditions conducted extensive auroral research. The article focuses on the media discourse of the time: how the expeditions including their scientific aims and outcomes were perceived in the Viennese press and society. The reception given to each of the expeditions and the manner by which each was covered in the press differed greatly; accordingly, the aurora borealis, a quintessential polar phenomenon itself, was ascribed with strikingly dissimilar meanings in the media. Whereas in 1874 domestic interests were projected onto the Arctic, with the aurora symbolizing the monarchy's bright future, in 1883 media attention focused on local events such as the International Electrical Exhibition in Vienna; the Arctic no longer served as a potent symbol for Austro-Hungarian affairs. Analyses of various forms of media such as texts, poems, and illustrations show the cultural situatedness of scientific knowledge and its popularization. Representations and interpretations of the aurora can only be understood within the political, social, technological and cultural contexts of the time.