Scientific Americans: Invention, Technology, and National Identity
with Susan Branson
August 9, 2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In its 29th year, The Mount’s annual Summer Lecture Series highlights recent works of memoir and biography. Join us for an eclectic mix of stories about historical figures and contemporary underrepresented voices.
In Scientific Americans, Susan Branson explores the place of science and technology in American efforts to achieve cultural independence from Europe and America's nation building in the early republic and antebellum eras. This engaging tour of scientific education and practices among ordinary citizens charts the development of nationalism and national identity alongside roads, rails, and machines.
"From hot-air balloons to perpetual-motion machines, Susan Branson takes us on a delightful tour of the technological marvels of the nineteenth century. More importantly, Scientific Americans offers us a smart analysis of the ways popular amazement translated into the shaping of American national identity. It is a wise and lively book." —Gregory Nobles, Georgia Tech, author of John James Audubon
The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact The Mount at 413-551-5100 or by email, info@edithwharton.org, to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.
- $25 Mount Member, $30 General Admission
- Tickets are available for Mount members on Wednesday, May 11, with sales open to the general public on Friday, May 13.
- Not a member? Contact Allison at 413-551-5112 to find out why Members Make the Difference.
- All lectures will take place in an outdoor, open-sided tent. We look forward to seeing you rain or shine!
- Books are available for purchase through The Mount's Bookstore before and during the event.
Biography
Susan Branson teaches History at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on society and culture in the early American republic. She has written two books on gender roles in early America, “These Fiery Frenchified Dames”: Women, Politics, and Culture in Early National Philadelphia (2001) and Dangerous to Know: Women, Class, and Crime in the Early Republic (2008). Her third book, Scientific Americans: Invention, Technology, and National Identity, explores the interactions between emerging technologies and American nationalism in the early nineteenth century. Dr. Branson’s current project is titled An American Yarn: How Wool Sparked Violence, Promoted Racism and Shaped Consumer Desire.