Floral Clocks and Vegetable Barometers: Public Meteorological Knowledge in Belgium (1795-1876)

Begin - Einde 
2025 - 2028 (lopend)

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Abstract

This project challenges traditional narratives of a unilateral flow of expert meteorological knowledge to a passive public in 19th-century Belgium. The research consists of four goals. First, it interrogates how Adolphe Quételet’s meteorological and phenological networks were influenced by Enlightenment and revolutionary ideas that fostered democratized forms of knowledge creation. Second, it explores the production and distribution of a range of meteorological tools such as instruments and plants, uncovering the material networks that supported these activities. Third, it analyzes how various societal groups learned expertise in making weather observations and predictions using different tools. Fourth, it investigates how perceptions of environmental vulnerability and interpretative styles of weather data influenced the demarcation of professional and amateur roles in meteorology, and how this impacted public trust and the credibility of scientific forecasts. I hypothesize that multiple styles of reading the weather coexisted and that active delineation of boundaries in meteorology was necessary for the professionalization of this field. The methodological approach will be multi-faceted, combining approaches from intellectual, cultural, and material history. This research on the co-production of meteorological knowledge in 19th-century Belgium will not only contribute to the history of meteorology but will also offer new insights into public trust in scientific expertise.

Onderzoekers

Postdoctorale medewerker(s)