Editors:
- First volume in the European Astroculture trilogy
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology (PSHST)
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Table of contents (17 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Introduction
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Front Matter
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Projecting Outer Space
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Front Matter
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Encountering Outer Space
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Front Matter
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Inscribing Outer Space
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Front Matter
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About this book
Imagining Outer Space makes a captivating advance into the cultural history of outer space and extraterrestrial life in the European imagination. How was outer space conceived and communicated? What promises of interplanetary expansion and cosmic colonization propelled the project of human spaceflight to the forefront of twentieth-century modernity? In what way has West-European astroculture been affected by the continuous exploration of outer space? Tracing the thriving interest in spatiality to early attempts at exploring imaginary worlds beyond our own, the book analyzes contact points between science and fiction from a transdisciplinary perspective and examines sites and situations where utopian images and futuristic technologies contributed to the omnipresence of fantasmatic thought. Bringing together state-of-the-art work in this emerging field of historical research, the volume breaks new ground in the historicization of the Space Age.
Reviews
"Revelatory . . . It certainly fills a gap." (Jon Agar, British Journal for the History of Science)
"Imagining Outer Space offers rich potential in explaining the infatuation of spaceflight by Europeans of many different nationalities and cultures. It may well jump-start a new approach to the history of spaceflight, something beyond the well-worn space-policy and geopolitical studies that are so much a part of the field. Without question, astrocultural investigation is one of the more interesting and original efforts to restructure spaceflight history in the early twenty-first century." (Roger D. Launius, Technology and Culture)
"With its emphasis on multidisciplinarity, and its wide variety of contributions, topics, and themes, Imagining Outer Space demonstrates the rich potential that astrocultural studies holds for the field of the history of spaceflight, while at the same time, it truly contains something for everyone." (Janet Vertesi, Quest)
"Offers an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to the cultural and social history of the space age in Europe. While it offers fascinating insights into the European context, it is its redrawing of the disciplinary boundaries of space history that should be most applauded . . . Highly recommended." (Anke Ortlepp, H-Soz-u-Kult)
"This is clearly an important contribution to the literature and a stimulus to ongoing and future debates and endeavours in the intertwining realms of culture, space and technology." (Derek Hall, Space Policy)
"Europe too has a history of imagining outer space, distinct from yet inextricably linked with global cultures of perceiving and experiencing the universe. This splendid volume offers a fascinating panorama of visions of the future. Anyone interested in the complex relationship between technology, space, and culture will garner much from this groundbreaking work." (Helmuth Trischler, Deutsches Museum)
"Imagining Outer Space . . . takes a step in the right direction by defining the concept of astroculture and offering some interesting examples of relevant research." (The Space Review)
"This wonderful multinational and multidisciplinary collection is greater than the sum of its fascinating parts. Crystalline aliens, a mysterious Siberian explosion, silicon-based life forms, Tintin, Thunderbirds, Star Trek and Raëlians are just some of the many things which are examined in a brilliantly eclectic series of essays." (David Edgerton, Imperial College London, UK)
"With generous references to the scholarship and original sources, as well as its own intelligent and well-integrated contributions, this book establishes a comprehensive new field of research 'astroculture." (Michael G. Smith, Purdue University, USA)
"Imagining Outer Space is a brilliantly organized compendium of current scholarship at the intersection between space history and the popular cultures of science/fiction. It also sheds new light on the often underplayed European contributions to imagining outer space as a richly inhabited human realm. It successfully establishes 'astroculture' as an energetic and growing area of scholarly production and debate." (De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Indiana University, USA)
Editors and Affiliations
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Freie Universitát Berlin, Germany
Alexander C. T. Geppert
About the editor
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Imagining Outer Space
Book Subtitle: European Astroculture in the Twentieth Century
Editors: Alexander C. T. Geppert
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230361362
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Palgrave History Collection, History (R0)
Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012
Series ISSN: 2730-972X
Series E-ISSN: 2730-9738
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVIII, 393
Topics: History of Science, European History, Social History, European Literature, Modern History, Fiction