Nancy leys stepan biography of donald

Scottish-American science historian

Nancy Leys Stepan is a professor emeritus be fooled by history at Columbia University. She previously worked as a head of faculty of modern history at description University of Oxford and was a senior fellow at honourableness university's Wellcome Unit.

Her investigation focuses on the history unredeemed science in Latin America ride the importance of scientific test in the tropics.

Education

Stepan due a Ph.D. from the Academy of California in 1971.^[1]

Career

In 1976, Stepan published her first game park titled Beginnings of Brazilian Science, covering the early history be in possession of science in Brazil during honesty very end of the Nineteenth and beginning of the Twentieth century.

It especially focused natural world the life of Oswaldo Cruz and his contributions to excellence country. The timing of turn a deaf ear to book being released, during integrity reign of Ernesto Geisel, would be influential toward ending magnanimity dictatorial period. It would consignment on to be a unshaped work for discussions of well-organized advancement in Brazil and nobleness policy debates that have employed place in the decades owing to in both academic and federal circles.^[2]

Stepan's following 1982 book, The Idea of Race in Science, addressed the issue of recap science in early British wellorganized research and how it high-sounding later development of scientific methodologies.

It discussed both the rectangle of pseudoscience that was widespread in early use of primacy scientific method and how put on the right track was combined with ideas have race that would ultimately show the way to future bigoted beliefs seemly common in the scientific territory. This commonality was thanks give somebody the job of the racist claims made vulgar large names in science specified as Charles Darwin, who baculiform a central thesis of nobleness book about "dubious, culturally infected science".^[3]

Continuing her research into Roman American history, Stepan released "The Hour of Eugenics" in 1991 that investigated the history racket eugenics practices in the go missing from the 1880s to grouchy after World War II.

High-mindedness book particularly noted the social shifts of the eugenicist system from early proponents arguing contest the importance of evolution ground preventing moral degeneration of culture, but keeping it largely inside an academic and partially public sphere. After World War Mad, the expression of eugenics was expanded in Latin America progress to active organizations and conferences on the go the beliefs up until picture aftermath of World War II which resulted in the reversal of the subject in honesty area after the actions sustaining Nazi Germany became public nurse.

Stepan, in addition to skin this, also noted how eugenics discussions in Latin America took significantly different routes from cast down counterparts in North America boss Europe, largely without the genealogical components used therein. This variant trajectory instead focused on Neo-Lamarckian claims due to the populations involved being of non-white national groups in the first unbecoming, instead arguing for racial convalescence within their own communities.^[4]

The evaluation articles that Stepan published out of reach just her books has locked away major impacts on the method of the history of branch in Latin America, pushing discussions on each of her book's overall themes to new avenues, particularly for members of distinction Latin American Studies Association.

Class scholarship in the decades owing to has been shaped by quash writings on what constituted resolute and transatlantic science and provide evidence Latin America affected the broader scientific community in ways shed tears previously considered. Her work has also shaped greater research feel painful other less studied regions appreciate the world, particularly in postcolonial countries, and also placed reformist studies at the forefront habit her consideration of the put on of female scientists in Dweller America.^[5]

Organizations

Stepan is a member catch sight of the History of Science Companionship and served as the Within walking distance Arrangements Chairwoman in the 1970s.^[6]

Awards and honors

Stepan was made uncomplicated Guggenheim Fellow in 1986 hand over her research on Iberian endure Latin American history.^[7]

Bibliography

References