Gregory Blue - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Gregory Blue
Knowledge in Translation: Global Patterns of Scientific Exchange, 1000–1800 CE. Edited by Patrick Manning and Abigail Owen. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018. Pp. xviii+464. $55.00
The Journal of Modern History, Jun 1, 2022
Marx e il mondo contemporaneo : communicazioni e interventi del convegno dell'Istituto Gramsci, 16-19 novembre 1983
Riuniti eBooks, 1987
Xu Guangqi in the West: Early Jesuit Sources and the Construction of an Identity
BRILL eBooks, 2001
Gobineau on China: Race Theory, the "Yellow Peril," and the Critique of Modernity
Journal of World History, 1999
Histories of racist thought tend to give only incidental treatment to the depiction of China in m... more Histories of racist thought tend to give only incidental treatment to the depiction of China in modern race theory. Meanwhile, scholarship on Western views of China frequently alludes to anti-Chinese racism but rarely analyzes high-brow race theory. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of both racist thought and Western views of China by examining the notions about China elaborated by Arthur de Gobineau, one of the leading race theorists of the nineteenth century. Gobineau's depiction of China is subjected to a close reading within the framework of his vision of world history, followed by consideration of the reception of his racial ideas and their possible political influence. The discussion highlights the compatibility of racist thought with antiprogressivism and antimodernism.
Joseph Needham: A Publication History
The Control of Space and Power
This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rath... more This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rather than over energy resources and the interplanetary regions. The key theme which underlay this session, negatively determining it and, indeed, placing it at the heart of the entire conference, was that of hegemony — the predominant control exercised by one or more foreign powers over the principal forms of the social life of a nation. The reader will have noticed that during the previous sessions criticism was repeatedly levelled against Eurocentric conceptions of the world; Drs Lefebvre, Stambuk and Mori, in particular, each formulated important objections from their own points of view. These objections were later to be further developed by several detailed expositions in the fifth session. Now, Eurocentrism can perhaps best be viewed as a particularly acute articulation of hegemony in the ideological sphere, and its force can be gauged by the extent to which it even penetrates mentalities about such supposedly ‘objective’ subjects as science and technology. Criticism of Eurocentric notions is undoubtedly an essential part of the struggle against hegemonic relations in the world today. However, a part should not be taken for the whole. Quite apart from the fact that many peoples within the European cultural area itself continue to be held in a state of dependence and poverty, how illusory it would be to think that the inequalities in the world are simply the results of narrow prejudices, misconceptions and ungrounded ideas. These inequalities are rather grounded in and embody a system of power relations, and hegemonic power lies at the heart of this system.
Biology, Medicine and the Future of Mankind
On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points o... more On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points of view, evoked some of the complex aspects of interaction between a society as a whole and the various individuals who together make it up. In a session entitled ‘Biology, medicine and the future of mankind’ one was reminded that both biological theory and medical practice have to a significant extent been marked by a peculiar fixation on the individual organism. Such fixations, however, may be said to have been outdated by developments in both fields; and — almost the same way as in physics — considerations of a more general (and in this case usually social) character must be invoked in order to properly understand and deal with phenomena which surpass the bounds of that which was formerly taken as ‘typical’ or ‘normal’. At the same time, however, it is also clear that this fixation on ‘the individual’ (often connected with the name of Virchow) has by no means prevented constant depersonalisation of the doctor-patient relationship; neither has it prevented the utilisation of biological knowledge for purposes of increasing the uniformisation not only of animal and plant cultures, but also of human behaviour. After reading through the papers in this session, one might perhaps say that what they are calling for, then, is a heightened respect for individuality that is rooted both in enhanced forms of socialisation at several distinct levels and in an awareness of what are often social determinants of biological phenomena.
If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciproca... more If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciprocal interaction of science, technology and society, and if it likewise advanced the demand that the great potentials of science and technology should be integrated into social struggles for democratic rights, then this second session may be said to have followed a pattern according to which these various threads were woven together into a single design. The dominant motif of the session thus rightfully lay in defining a realistic strategy by which the underdeveloped countries-whose peoples, of course, comprise the vast majority of the population of the globe-would be able to overcome the present cruelly unequal distribution of power over the material, and especially the technological, resources of the world. A general theoretical framework for the deliberations of this session was provided in the paper by Dr Stambuk, who noted that definitions of 'development' and 'underdevelopment' are notoriously legion, and who took the position that adequate definitions of these phenomena must be linked to a critique of existing modes of production as such. Dr Stambuk then went on to consider various strategies for scientific-technological development; and he concluded that only a form of self-reliance rooted firmly in the capacities and interests of the working people would suffice as a steady foundation for a nation's future. As pointed out by Dr Wallerstein during the discussion, however, it is often a good deal easier to talk about self-reliance than to achieve it, since the 'global reach' of the transnational corporations is at present working to intensify an international division of labour which keeps underdeveloped countries dependent. Therefore, according to Dr Wallerstein, national strategies of development can only be realistically conceived and carried out when they are understood as so many partial contributions to transforming the present world order. This angle was taken up in Dr Ristic's key paper on the subject of collective self-reliance among developing countries: Dr Ristic portrayed the aim of self-reliance in general as the generation of indigenous skills and technologies capable of sustaining continuous increases in production; and he observed that, far from excluding each other, national and collective self-reliance are necessary complements and M. Peujli et al. (eds.
Opening Addresses
Science and Technology in the Transformation of the World, 1982
The Control of Space and Power
Science and Technology in the Transformation of the World, 1982
This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rath... more This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rather than over energy resources and the interplanetary regions. The key theme which underlay this session, negatively determining it and, indeed, placing it at the heart of the entire conference, was that of hegemony — the predominant control exercised by one or more foreign powers over the principal forms of the social life of a nation. The reader will have noticed that during the previous sessions criticism was repeatedly levelled against Eurocentric conceptions of the world; Drs Lefebvre, Stambuk and Mori, in particular, each formulated important objections from their own points of view. These objections were later to be further developed by several detailed expositions in the fifth session. Now, Eurocentrism can perhaps best be viewed as a particularly acute articulation of hegemony in the ideological sphere, and its force can be gauged by the extent to which it even penetrates mentalities about such supposedly ‘objective’ subjects as science and technology. Criticism of Eurocentric notions is undoubtedly an essential part of the struggle against hegemonic relations in the world today. However, a part should not be taken for the whole. Quite apart from the fact that many peoples within the European cultural area itself continue to be held in a state of dependence and poverty, how illusory it would be to think that the inequalities in the world are simply the results of narrow prejudices, misconceptions and ungrounded ideas. These inequalities are rather grounded in and embody a system of power relations, and hegemonic power lies at the heart of this system.
Biology, Medicine and the Future of Mankind
On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points o... more On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points of view, evoked some of the complex aspects of interaction between a society as a whole and the various individuals who together make it up. In a session entitled ‘Biology, medicine and the future of mankind’ one was reminded that both biological theory and medical practice have to a significant extent been marked by a peculiar fixation on the individual organism. Such fixations, however, may be said to have been outdated by developments in both fields; and — almost the same way as in physics — considerations of a more general (and in this case usually social) character must be invoked in order to properly understand and deal with phenomena which surpass the bounds of that which was formerly taken as ‘typical’ or ‘normal’. At the same time, however, it is also clear that this fixation on ‘the individual’ (often connected with the name of Virchow) has by no means prevented constant deperso...
If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciproca... more If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciprocal interaction of science, technology and society, and if it likewise advanced the demand that the great potentials of science and technology should be integrated into social struggles for democratic rights, then this second session may be said to have followed a pattern according to which these various threads were woven together into a single design. The dominant motif of the session thus rightfully lay in defining a realistic strategy by which the underdeveloped countries — whose peoples, of course, comprise the vast majority of the population of the globe — would be able to overcome the present cruelly unequal distribution of power over the material, and especially the technological, resources of the world.
Section One: Selected Primary Sources
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Section Four: Scholarly Publications – Articles and Book Chapters
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Section Five: Selected Popular Books
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Science and Technology as Formative Factors of Contemporary Civilisation: From Domination to Liberation
“Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a ... more “Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a relatively large population; it has several natural resources that permit it a relative fmancial affluence and a genuine will to consolidate its political independence and to supply its economy with the means for autonomous growth. To these ends it is ready to set aside a not-inconsiderable portion of its foreign-exchange earnings in order to finance the importation of modern science and technology. And after a while this country realises that the conditions of a new dependence are being forged by means of technology transfer, the acquisition of prefabricated factories, even by means of technical assistance aimed at training the country’s own experts. From the difficulties involved in setting up a nation-wide engineering establishment capable both of mastering scientific and technical imports and of preserving one’s freedom of choice on the world market, the country realises that in order really to make use of the imported types of knowledge it would almost have been necessary to be able to produce them oneself. To use a comparison, the importation of science and technology acts rather as a drug upon which the country becomes dependent, and not as a form of nourishment for autonomous development.
Science and Technology as Formative Factors of Contemporary Civilisation: From Domination to Liberation
“Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a ... more “Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a relatively large population; it has several natural resources that permit it a relative fmancial affluence and a genuine will to consolidate its political independence and to supply its economy with the means for autonomous growth. To these ends it is ready to set aside a not-inconsiderable portion of its foreign-exchange earnings in order to finance the importation of modern science and technology. And after a while this country realises that the conditions of a new dependence are being forged by means of technology transfer, the acquisition of prefabricated factories, even by means of technical assistance aimed at training the country’s own experts. From the difficulties involved in setting up a nation-wide engineering establishment capable both of mastering scientific and technical imports and of preserving one’s freedom of choice on the world market, the country realises that in order really to make use of the imported types of knowledge it would almost have been necessary to be able to produce them oneself. To use a comparison, the importation of science and technology acts rather as a drug upon which the country becomes dependent, and not as a form of nourishment for autonomous development.
Knowledge in Translation: Global Patterns of Scientific Exchange, 1000–1800 CE. Edited by Patrick Manning and Abigail Owen. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018. Pp. xviii+464. $55.00
The Journal of Modern History, Jun 1, 2022
Marx e il mondo contemporaneo : communicazioni e interventi del convegno dell'Istituto Gramsci, 16-19 novembre 1983
Riuniti eBooks, 1987
Xu Guangqi in the West: Early Jesuit Sources and the Construction of an Identity
BRILL eBooks, 2001
Gobineau on China: Race Theory, the "Yellow Peril," and the Critique of Modernity
Journal of World History, 1999
Histories of racist thought tend to give only incidental treatment to the depiction of China in m... more Histories of racist thought tend to give only incidental treatment to the depiction of China in modern race theory. Meanwhile, scholarship on Western views of China frequently alludes to anti-Chinese racism but rarely analyzes high-brow race theory. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of both racist thought and Western views of China by examining the notions about China elaborated by Arthur de Gobineau, one of the leading race theorists of the nineteenth century. Gobineau's depiction of China is subjected to a close reading within the framework of his vision of world history, followed by consideration of the reception of his racial ideas and their possible political influence. The discussion highlights the compatibility of racist thought with antiprogressivism and antimodernism.
Joseph Needham: A Publication History
The Control of Space and Power
This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rath... more This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rather than over energy resources and the interplanetary regions. The key theme which underlay this session, negatively determining it and, indeed, placing it at the heart of the entire conference, was that of hegemony — the predominant control exercised by one or more foreign powers over the principal forms of the social life of a nation. The reader will have noticed that during the previous sessions criticism was repeatedly levelled against Eurocentric conceptions of the world; Drs Lefebvre, Stambuk and Mori, in particular, each formulated important objections from their own points of view. These objections were later to be further developed by several detailed expositions in the fifth session. Now, Eurocentrism can perhaps best be viewed as a particularly acute articulation of hegemony in the ideological sphere, and its force can be gauged by the extent to which it even penetrates mentalities about such supposedly ‘objective’ subjects as science and technology. Criticism of Eurocentric notions is undoubtedly an essential part of the struggle against hegemonic relations in the world today. However, a part should not be taken for the whole. Quite apart from the fact that many peoples within the European cultural area itself continue to be held in a state of dependence and poverty, how illusory it would be to think that the inequalities in the world are simply the results of narrow prejudices, misconceptions and ungrounded ideas. These inequalities are rather grounded in and embody a system of power relations, and hegemonic power lies at the heart of this system.
Biology, Medicine and the Future of Mankind
On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points o... more On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points of view, evoked some of the complex aspects of interaction between a society as a whole and the various individuals who together make it up. In a session entitled ‘Biology, medicine and the future of mankind’ one was reminded that both biological theory and medical practice have to a significant extent been marked by a peculiar fixation on the individual organism. Such fixations, however, may be said to have been outdated by developments in both fields; and — almost the same way as in physics — considerations of a more general (and in this case usually social) character must be invoked in order to properly understand and deal with phenomena which surpass the bounds of that which was formerly taken as ‘typical’ or ‘normal’. At the same time, however, it is also clear that this fixation on ‘the individual’ (often connected with the name of Virchow) has by no means prevented constant depersonalisation of the doctor-patient relationship; neither has it prevented the utilisation of biological knowledge for purposes of increasing the uniformisation not only of animal and plant cultures, but also of human behaviour. After reading through the papers in this session, one might perhaps say that what they are calling for, then, is a heightened respect for individuality that is rooted both in enhanced forms of socialisation at several distinct levels and in an awareness of what are often social determinants of biological phenomena.
If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciproca... more If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciprocal interaction of science, technology and society, and if it likewise advanced the demand that the great potentials of science and technology should be integrated into social struggles for democratic rights, then this second session may be said to have followed a pattern according to which these various threads were woven together into a single design. The dominant motif of the session thus rightfully lay in defining a realistic strategy by which the underdeveloped countries-whose peoples, of course, comprise the vast majority of the population of the globe-would be able to overcome the present cruelly unequal distribution of power over the material, and especially the technological, resources of the world. A general theoretical framework for the deliberations of this session was provided in the paper by Dr Stambuk, who noted that definitions of 'development' and 'underdevelopment' are notoriously legion, and who took the position that adequate definitions of these phenomena must be linked to a critique of existing modes of production as such. Dr Stambuk then went on to consider various strategies for scientific-technological development; and he concluded that only a form of self-reliance rooted firmly in the capacities and interests of the working people would suffice as a steady foundation for a nation's future. As pointed out by Dr Wallerstein during the discussion, however, it is often a good deal easier to talk about self-reliance than to achieve it, since the 'global reach' of the transnational corporations is at present working to intensify an international division of labour which keeps underdeveloped countries dependent. Therefore, according to Dr Wallerstein, national strategies of development can only be realistically conceived and carried out when they are understood as so many partial contributions to transforming the present world order. This angle was taken up in Dr Ristic's key paper on the subject of collective self-reliance among developing countries: Dr Ristic portrayed the aim of self-reliance in general as the generation of indigenous skills and technologies capable of sustaining continuous increases in production; and he observed that, far from excluding each other, national and collective self-reliance are necessary complements and M. Peujli et al. (eds.
Opening Addresses
Science and Technology in the Transformation of the World, 1982
The Control of Space and Power
Science and Technology in the Transformation of the World, 1982
This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rath... more This fourth session focused mainly on control over geocultural space and geopolitical power, rather than over energy resources and the interplanetary regions. The key theme which underlay this session, negatively determining it and, indeed, placing it at the heart of the entire conference, was that of hegemony — the predominant control exercised by one or more foreign powers over the principal forms of the social life of a nation. The reader will have noticed that during the previous sessions criticism was repeatedly levelled against Eurocentric conceptions of the world; Drs Lefebvre, Stambuk and Mori, in particular, each formulated important objections from their own points of view. These objections were later to be further developed by several detailed expositions in the fifth session. Now, Eurocentrism can perhaps best be viewed as a particularly acute articulation of hegemony in the ideological sphere, and its force can be gauged by the extent to which it even penetrates mentalities about such supposedly ‘objective’ subjects as science and technology. Criticism of Eurocentric notions is undoubtedly an essential part of the struggle against hegemonic relations in the world today. However, a part should not be taken for the whole. Quite apart from the fact that many peoples within the European cultural area itself continue to be held in a state of dependence and poverty, how illusory it would be to think that the inequalities in the world are simply the results of narrow prejudices, misconceptions and ungrounded ideas. These inequalities are rather grounded in and embody a system of power relations, and hegemonic power lies at the heart of this system.
Biology, Medicine and the Future of Mankind
On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points o... more On Tuesday afternoon the conference heard three presentations which, from quite distinct points of view, evoked some of the complex aspects of interaction between a society as a whole and the various individuals who together make it up. In a session entitled ‘Biology, medicine and the future of mankind’ one was reminded that both biological theory and medical practice have to a significant extent been marked by a peculiar fixation on the individual organism. Such fixations, however, may be said to have been outdated by developments in both fields; and — almost the same way as in physics — considerations of a more general (and in this case usually social) character must be invoked in order to properly understand and deal with phenomena which surpass the bounds of that which was formerly taken as ‘typical’ or ‘normal’. At the same time, however, it is also clear that this fixation on ‘the individual’ (often connected with the name of Virchow) has by no means prevented constant deperso...
If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciproca... more If the first session of the conference developed the themes of globalisation and of the reciprocal interaction of science, technology and society, and if it likewise advanced the demand that the great potentials of science and technology should be integrated into social struggles for democratic rights, then this second session may be said to have followed a pattern according to which these various threads were woven together into a single design. The dominant motif of the session thus rightfully lay in defining a realistic strategy by which the underdeveloped countries — whose peoples, of course, comprise the vast majority of the population of the globe — would be able to overcome the present cruelly unequal distribution of power over the material, and especially the technological, resources of the world.
Section One: Selected Primary Sources
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Section Four: Scholarly Publications – Articles and Book Chapters
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Section Five: Selected Popular Books
BRILL eBooks, 2014
Science and Technology as Formative Factors of Contemporary Civilisation: From Domination to Liberation
“Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a ... more “Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a relatively large population; it has several natural resources that permit it a relative fmancial affluence and a genuine will to consolidate its political independence and to supply its economy with the means for autonomous growth. To these ends it is ready to set aside a not-inconsiderable portion of its foreign-exchange earnings in order to finance the importation of modern science and technology. And after a while this country realises that the conditions of a new dependence are being forged by means of technology transfer, the acquisition of prefabricated factories, even by means of technical assistance aimed at training the country’s own experts. From the difficulties involved in setting up a nation-wide engineering establishment capable both of mastering scientific and technical imports and of preserving one’s freedom of choice on the world market, the country realises that in order really to make use of the imported types of knowledge it would almost have been necessary to be able to produce them oneself. To use a comparison, the importation of science and technology acts rather as a drug upon which the country becomes dependent, and not as a form of nourishment for autonomous development.
Science and Technology as Formative Factors of Contemporary Civilisation: From Domination to Liberation
“Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a ... more “Consider a typical country said to need ‘to be developed’. It’s probably of medium size, with a relatively large population; it has several natural resources that permit it a relative fmancial affluence and a genuine will to consolidate its political independence and to supply its economy with the means for autonomous growth. To these ends it is ready to set aside a not-inconsiderable portion of its foreign-exchange earnings in order to finance the importation of modern science and technology. And after a while this country realises that the conditions of a new dependence are being forged by means of technology transfer, the acquisition of prefabricated factories, even by means of technical assistance aimed at training the country’s own experts. From the difficulties involved in setting up a nation-wide engineering establishment capable both of mastering scientific and technical imports and of preserving one’s freedom of choice on the world market, the country realises that in order really to make use of the imported types of knowledge it would almost have been necessary to be able to produce them oneself. To use a comparison, the importation of science and technology acts rather as a drug upon which the country becomes dependent, and not as a form of nourishment for autonomous development.