Patrick Manning and Mat Savelli (eds), Global Transformations in the Life Sciences, 1945–1980

Abstract

The question of whether science is a global enterprise has been settled, but the question of how to narrate the history of science in a global frame remains open. This was the challenge that the World History Center and the History and Philosophy of Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh sought to meet in convening a series of conferences on the history of science and world history. Global Transformations in the Life Sciences emerged from the second of these conferences, which examined the life sciences after the Second World War. This era was defined by profound developments in world affairs, including decolonisation, the Cold War and increasing ecological crisis. It was also a moment when the life sciences appeared to become explicitly global in its orientation through events such as the International Biological Programme or institutions such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The 11 essays in the collection highlight how these world historical developments contributed to the process of globalising the life sciences.