Imagining Outer Space by Alexander Ct Geppert

Imagining Outer Space by Alexander Ct Geppert

Imagining Outer Space makes a captivating advance into the cultural history of outer space and extraterrestrial life in the European imagination.

“Imagining Outer Space, shows that popular excitement for space and spaceflight extended far beyond superpower borders during the early Cold War… Imagining Outer Space analyses a host of European novels, films and popular culture from David Bowie to the Astrosmurf. Its chapters wade into gravely serious West German educational TV and parse the sartorial choices of British space operas. … Their capacity to pool resources across borders to create viable spacefaring technology is nonetheless a valuable story.” (Benjamin W. Goossen, Contemporary European History, June 17, 2022)
Reviews for the first edition:
“The volume succeeds in demonstrating the relevance and importance of these three threads and arguments. Each from a different author, each of whom stems from a different disciplinary background, the 15 chapters that follow the introduction emphasise and reflect each of the threads to different degrees. ... Together, the chapters survey an excellent variety of topics that fall under the astroculture umbrella ... . Imagining Outer Space: European Astroculture in the Twentieth Century is a giant leap in that direction.” (Jason Beery, European Review of History - Revue européenne d'histoire, Vol. 21 (6), April, 2014)

“Imagining Outer Space is a brilliantly organized compendium of current scholarship at the intersection between space history and the popular cultures of science/fiction. It also sheds new light on the often underplayed European contributions to imagining outer space as a richly inhabited human realm. It successfully establishes ‘astroculture’ as an energetic and growing area of scholarly production and debate.” (De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 41, 2014)

“Imagining Outer Space offers rich potential in explaining the infatuation of spaceflight by Europeans of many different nationalities and cultures. It may well jump-start a new approach to the history of spaceflight, something beyond the well-worn space-policy and geopolitical studies that are so much a part of the field. Without question, astrocultural investigation is one of the more interesting and original efforts to restructure spaceflight history in the early twenty-first century.” (Roger D. Launius, Technology and Culture, Vol. 54, July, 2013)

“This is an eclectic, detailed ... and occasionally revelatory set of essays that delve into how (mostly Western) Europeans portrayed outer space, spaceflight and space exploration. It certainly fills a gap.” (Jon Agar, The British Journal for the History of Science, Vol. 46 (2), June, 2013)

"This volume's fifteen diverse essays, substantive introduction, and valuable epilogue all examine various aspects of 'astroculture' by considering and configuring the cultural and social significance of the Space Age both to and within the Atomic Age. … The diverse voices and visions … provide ample opportunities for interested readers to change-out comfortable disciplinary lenses and linguistic and conceptual toolboxes for unfamiliar optics and methodological approaches to outer space and space exploration that must surely transcend transnational and transdisciplinary boundaries. … Fascinating." (Pamela Gossin, Isis, Vol. 104 (3), 2013)

“‘Imagining Outer Space’ offers an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to the cultural and social history of the space age in Europe. While it offers fascinating insights into the European context, it is its redrawing of the disciplinary boundaries of space history that should be most applauded. ... the volume is to be highly recommended not only to readers interested in the history of outerspace and the space age.” (Anke Ortlepp, H-Soz-Kult, August, 2012)

“Imagining Outer Space, though, takes a step in the right direction by defining the concept of astroculture and offering some interesting examples of relevant research.” (Jeff Foust, The Space Review, thespacereview.com, April, 2012)

“With its emphasis on multidisciplinarity, and its wide variety of contributions, topics, and themes, Imagining Outer Space demonstrates the rich potential that astrocultural studies holds for the field of the history of spaceflight, while at the same time, it truly contains something for everyone.” (Janet Vertesi, Quest, Vol.19 (4), 2012)

Alexander C.T. Geppert is Associate Professor of History and European Studies and Global Network Associate Professor at New York University Shanghai as well as NYU's Center for European and Mediterranean Studies in New York City. From 2010 to 2016 he directed the Emmy Noether research group 'The Future in the Stars: European Astroculture and Extraterrestrial Life in the Twentieth Century' at Freie Universität Berlin.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781349953387
ISBN 10	1349953385
Title	Imagining Outer Space
Author	Alexander Ct Geppert
Series	Palgrave Studies In The History Of Science And Technology
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Year published	2018-05-07
Number of pages	443
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.