Situatedness of Knowledge——A Case Study Based on Alice Middleton Boring's Research Shift
In 1923,American biologist Alice Middleton Boring working as a visiting professor at Yenching Universi-ty marked the initiation of her academic engagement.Originally intended for a three-year term,in 1926,she em-braced permanent teaching in China,which led to an extension of her role.This pivotal choice foreshadowed her subsequent reorientation of research during the 1930s.This paper undertakes a comprehensive exploration of this transformative trajectory,functioning as an embodiment of the situatedness of biological knowledge prevalent in the first half of the 20th century within a distinct natural-sociocultural context.Armed with a doctorate in philosophy as a testament to her academic training in the United States,Boring initially adhered to the guidance imparted by prominent embryologists like Thomas Morgan and Edwin Conklin.However,her tenure at Yenching University bore witness to a gradual deviation from the anticipated path of a promising experimental biologist.Instead,she gravita-ted towards the traditional realm of descriptive biology,specifically manifesting as systematic biology.This notewor-thy shift in research emphasis can be attributed to the intricate interaction between temporal and spatial considera-tions.
institution of disciplineknowledge makingsystematic biology
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