"Time Capsules" of Science

Museums, Collections, and Scientific Heritage in Portugal

Bibliographic Data

ID3360201
AuthorsMarta C Lourenço (0000-0001-7728-1726, University of Lisbon), José Pedro Sousa Dias, José Pedro Sousa-Dias (0000-0003-1087-2171, University of Lisbon)
Year2017
Volume108
Issue2
Pages390-398
Publication date2017-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueIsis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-1753 • E-ISSN: 1545-6994
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/692690
OpenAlexW2620236746
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited4

The term “museum” means different things in different periods, to be sure; nonetheless, over the past 250 years in Portugal the state failed in creating a national, sustainable museum of science. This essay analyzes, in broad terms, the context, relevance, and consequences of this absence for Portuguese scientific museums, collections, and heritage. It also discusses the implications for the history of science and, especially, for the public interpretation of the past. The term “museum of science” is used in a broad sense, encompassing museums with collections of scientific instruments, medicine, pharmacy, and natural history, including botanic gardens. Museums of technology and industry, however, are outside the scope of this discussion

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Cultural heritage · Epistemology · History of science · Interpretation (philosophy · Museum informatics · Natural heritage · Natural history · Political science · Portuguese · Relevance (law · Scope (computer science · Computer Science · Ecology · History · History of Education in Spain · History of Science and Natural History · Law · Museology · Museums and Cultural Heritage

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