In this thesis I develop a contemporary history of memetics, or the field dedicated to the study of memes. Those working in the realm of meme theory have been generally concerned with developing either evolutionary or epidemiological approaches to the study of human culture, with memes viewed as discrete units of cultural transmission. At the center of my account is the argument that memetics has been characterized by an atypical pattern of growth, with the meme concept only moving toward greater academic legitimacy after significant development and diffusion in the popular realm. As revealed by my analysis, the history of memetics upends conventional understandings of discipline formation and the popularization of scientific ideas, making it a novel and informative case study in the realm of science and technology studies. Furthermore, this project underscores how the development of fields and disciplines is thoroughly intertwined with a larger social, cultural, and historical milieu. / Master of Science

The aim of the research was to investigate the formation of the information management discipline, propose a framework by which it is presently understood, and test that framework within a particular area of application, namely the provision of scientific and technological information (STI) services. The work is presented as a PhD by Publication which comprises a narrative that encompasses the series of published papers, and includes excerpts from the book written to illustrate the province of the discipline. In thee book the disciplinary context is detailed and exemplified based upon information management domains. The book consolidates information management principles within a framework defined by these operational, analytical and administrative domains. It was created by a redaction of prior epistemological proposals; an analysis of the understanding of practice that has been shaped by professional, institutional and information science influences; and demonstration of practice within the domain framework. The disciplinary framework was then used in a series of STI case studies where it was found to provide an effective description of information management. Together, the book and subsequent case studies provided illustration of the principles utilised in information management and the way that they are practiced within different domains, along with an explanation of the manner in which the information management discipline has been formed. These should assist with direction of future research and scholarship particularly with respect to factors relevant to information services and indicators for their successful application in future. It is anticipated that this generalised description of the practices across the range of interpretations of information management should enable practicing information professionals to appreciate the relationship of their own work to disciplines that are converging towards similar purpose, such as through a clearer indication of the extent to which technical and management standards may be applied, and performance analysis undertaken. Complementary outcomes that were achieved during the course of the work were: a comparative analysis of thesauri in the information field which shows that in this field, the ways that information professionals represent themselves remains unreconciled; an historical examination of Australian STI services that provides pointers to their effective continuation; and a reconsideration of the relationship between librarianship and information management. The work is presented as a compilation of papers that comprise firstly extracts from the book to exemplify its consolidation of information management principles, then a number of published and submitted papers that examine how principles have been applied in practice. This is in the context of six case studies of Australian STI services including interviews with creators and developers, and analysis of historical information.

This essay analyses the development of field and discipline formation in Sweden. A specific case is presented regarding the differentiation of the history of ideas, idéhistoria, and the delineation of the history of knowledge, kunskapshistoria, between 2015 and 2020. The distinction and differentiation between these disciplines has been contested by academics in related fields, who have questioned whether and what is new or distinct in the study of the history of knowledge and what prior disciplines and fields of study it draws on.  The aim of this study is to examine how the relationship between the two research fields is undertood by the academics that work in these fields themselves. The research question is: How is the interaction between the history of ideas and the history of knowledge described by Swedish scientists in papers published between 2015 and 2020? The study is based on scientific papers, anthologies, and book reviews written by Swedish scientists and mainly published in Swedish academic journals. The study shows that both research fields are developing towards eclecticism and internationalisation, both striving to participate in a broader international academic discourse. In both fields more publications are now written in English and fewer in Swedish. However, the predomination of English-language publications is more apparent in the new field of the history of knowledge. With respect to the history of ideas, the formative effects of institutionalisation as well as the importance of academic due due diligence i.e. engaging with the research in near-adjacent fields of study such as the study of the history of science, the history of medicine, and environmental history is apparent in the academic literature. The study indicates that Sweden has a potential of becoming a new research arena of some significance for generative and cooperatiion in humanistic science and thus of a general interest. / I studien analyseras samspelet mellan idéhistoria och kunskapshistoria i Sverige 2015 - 2010. Undersökningen berör generella frågeställningar om hur forskningsfält och discipliner skapas och påverkar varandra. Medan idéhistoria funnits i Sverige i snart ett hundra år har kunskapshistoria etablerats i Sverige först under de senaste fem åren. Detta ämne har av sina företrädare förklarats vara ett nytt oberoende forskningsfält med långt gående ambitioner ambitioner som sträcker sig över disciplingränserna. Dessa uttalanden ifrågasattes av forskare inom idé- och vetenskapshistoria om vad som var nytt inom det nya forskningsfältet och på vems axlar detta stod på. Syftet med denna studie var att analysera hur forskare från de två forskningsfälten upplevt påverkan mellan dem. Forskningsfrågan var hur påverkan mellan idéhistoria och kunskapshistoria framgått och beskrivits i publikationer skrivna av svenska forskare inom ämnena under perioden. Materialet som använts var uppsatser, antologier, recensioner och institutionernas utbildningsmaterial från denna tid, huvudsakligen publicerade i svenska tidskrifter. Studien visade att bägge forskningsfälten breddat sig och visat ökad ambition att delta i det internationella vetenskapliga samtalet. Här fanns dock en gradskillnad mellan ämnena. En möjlig inlåsningseffekt av att använda sig av svenska som språk diskuteras som en konsekvens av den äldre svenska forskningstraditionen. Fler publikationer inom idéhistoria skrivs dock numera på engelska och färre på svenska medan kunskapshistoria redan från början haft ett utpräglat internationellt fokus. Betydelsen av institutionalisering och de förmåner detta medför understryks. Studiens resultat visar att påverkan mellan kunskapsfälten under den studerade perioden generellt var liten. Ett undantag har varit den ovan nämnda kritiken från forskare inom idé- och vetenskapshistoria mot de anspråk som framförts av företrädarna för kunskapshistoria på att nu presentera ett verkligt nytt forskningsfält. Enligt kritikerna har man därvid bortsett från den utveckling som skett inom närliggande områden under de senaste åren. Vikten av akademisk due diligence har lyfts fram som en viktig princip inom forskning. / <p>By distance (Zoom)</p>