Twelve Lectures on the History of Technology

Author: Beijing Institute of Technology Press
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-07
Features: This book is the first of its kind in China to discuss the fundamental issues and research methods of the discipline of the history of technology. It can serve as both an introductory textbook for those in need of studying the history of science and technology, and as a reference for scholars in the fields of the philosophy of science and technology, history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and other related disciplines. Technological historians must not only accurately understand historical technologies but also possess academic literacy in fields such as history. The authors of this book are engaged in research in the history of technology, history, paleography, technological archaeology, traditional crafts, philosophy of engineering, and related disciplines. They have summarized their research experiences and insights to present Twelve Lectures on the Study of the History of Technology. Six of the lectures are the keynote speeches from the first National Symposium on the History of Technology for Young and Middle-aged Scholars, with records of discussions by attendees appended to each speech. These 12 lectures cover the main fields, approaches, and methods of Chinese technological history research over the past few decades. Appendix 1 includes five articles that broaden the scope to the history of technology and medical history abroad; Appendix 2 introduces some academic organizations, journals, research institutions, and teaching units that must be known to scholars of the history of science and technology; Appendix 3 recommends some reference works to help readers further understand the discipline of the history of technology.