American Scientists and the Process of Reconciliation in the International Scientific Community, 1917–1925

Abstract

This chapter takes the international community of science as its focus. As the “boycott” of German scholars began to take root from the end of the war, American scholars decided to quietly pursue their own agenda for reconciliation. In a bid to maintain and rebuild the integrity of the academic world, they began establishing contact—via informal channels—with their colleagues in Germany and Austria. In so doing, they played a significant role in the normalization of the international relations. Chagnon’s paper demonstrates the resourcefulness of the academic world in the aftermath of war and the importance of notions such as scientific universalism and the global exchange of knowledge to a large body of scholars. However, detente of this sort proved easier to achieve in certain cases than others.