Author Description

An Empire Of Magnetism: Global Science And The British Magnetic Enterprise In The Age Of Imperialism Provides An In-depth Study Of What, In The Mid-nineteenth Century, Was Celebrated As The Most Extensive State-orchestrated Scientific Enterprise Ever Conducted. During The 1840s And 1850s, The British Government Financed A Worldwide Investigation Into How The Earth's Magnetic Phenomena Operated, Consisting Of A Network Of Naval Expeditions And Colonial Observatories. Questions Surrounding Terrestrial Magnetism Were Not Just Philosophical, But Also Engendered Urgent Concerns Over The Accurate Navigation On Which Britain's Commercial And Colonial Power Depended. With The Guidance Of A Powerful Lobby Of Scientific And Social Elites, The British State Was Able To Mobilize The Extensive Resources Of Its Empire To The Collection Of Magnetic Data Through Carefully Coordinated Observations. Yet, As An Empire Of Magnetism Argues, The Experimental Instruments And Techniques Required To Conduct This Work Were To Be Found Amid Britain's Booming Industry, Where The Harnessing Of Coal And Iron, And Use Of Steam Power, Shaped A Scientific Culture Prominently Concerned With The Relationship Between Heat, Pressure, And Motion. In Particular, It Was Philosophical Apparatus Fashioned Within The Mines Of Cornwall That The Government Was Able To Conscript Within The Worldwide Magnetic Investigation.