ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

The Creation of the International Biological Programme between the Cold War, Decolonization, and Disciplinary tensions

• In Event: Science at the End of Empire: Britain’s Studies of the Body

English Abstract

In 1964 it was established the International Biological Programme (IBP) with the goal of studying “the biological basis of productivity and human welfare.” In doing so, it was sought to bring together fields of study which had previously developed in relative isolation. The IBP studied how the biosphere “can be ‘harnessed’ by attempting to discover the biological bases of productivity and human welfare.” The initiative lasted ten years and mobilized networks of thousands of researchers across 9 different projects.
By focusing primarily on the British and the US participation in the programme, this presentation offers an initial assessment of the IBP. It argues that the programme emerged from negotiations shaped by national perspectives on international cooperation—particularly with developing countries—as well as relations with international organizations, private foundations, and government agencies. For example, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences agreed to join the IBP following President Kennedy’s call for greater international scientific collaboration, especially in the field of ecology, despite reservations among many American biologists. Likewise, the Royal Society sought to strengthen scientific cooperation with developing countries, thereby reinforcing ties within the Commonwealth. Individual actors played a decisive role in navigating these negotiations. The most important one was C. H. Waddington who persuaded American and British ecologists to extend their focus beyond wildlife conservation towards energetics of ecosystems. At the same time, the presentation stresses the disciplinary tensions that influenced the project’s direction. Notably, this was the case of biologists and anthropologists in the Human Adaptability section.

Author

• Daniele Cozzoli