The Formation and Transformation of Knowledge of and Discourses on UV in Prewar Japan

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26560140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Hiroshima Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kim Boumsoung 広島工業大学, 環境学部, 准教授 (30419337)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 紫外線 / 知識 / 言説

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study empirically examined how knowledge of and discourses on ultraviolet radiation were formed and transformed in prewar Japan. Though invisible, ultraviolet rays have been positioned prominently in sociocultural contexts mediated by discourses on health, environment, and beauty. This study examined the interaction between technology/science and society/culture by observing how these invisible rays were studied and discussed in society. The results of this research will be published as a book in the Iwanami Gendaizensho series.

Free Research Field

科学史