Title

The return of the Phoenix: the 1963 International Congress of Zoology and American zoologists in the twentieth century

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2009

Publication Title

Journal of the History of Biology

Department

Science, Technology and Society

Abstract

This paper examines the International Congress of Zoology held in Washington D.C. in 1963 as a portrait of American zoologists’ search for effective and rewarding relationships with both each other and the public. Organizers of the congress envisioned the congress as a last ditch effort to unify the disparate subdisciplines of zoology, overcome the barriers of specialization, and ward off the heady claims of more reductionist biologists. The problems zoologists faced as they worked to fulfill these ambitious goals illuminate some of the challenges faced by members of the naturalist tradition as they worked to establish disciplinary unity while seeking public support in the competitive world of twentieth century science.

Volume

42

Issue

3

pp.

417-456

ISSN

0022-5010

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