Scientific persona performance through online biographies and their relationship to historical models

Abstract

In this chapter, Barbour et al. explore the relationship between historical models of scientific personas and the ways in which present-day scientists represent themselves through their online biographies. The core argument is that identifiable features of the personas produced by historical scientists continue to be reproduced, at least in part, by scientists working in the present day. These personas, which were based on the socio-cultural expectations of their times, particularly in the period in which ‘science’ became formalized and recognized, have become part of the discourse about what it means to be a scientist on an international scale. Hence, some key themes are shared between historical scientific personas and contemporary personas constructed through online biographies by scientists who seek to communicate to, and engage, with the broader public.