New article by Kristian H. Nielsen and Casper Andersen
UNESCO as Teacher of Norms in Science Popularization. In: Science Popularisation as Cultural Diplomacy in Cold War UNESCO (1946-1958), ed. Andrée Bergeron, Agusti Nieto-Galan, Jaume Sastre-Juan (Routledge, 2026)
Introduction (excerpt)
The founders of UNESCO harboured vast ambitions for the new UN special agency dedicated to education, science and culture. This was especially true concerning the realm of science, a last-minute addition to UNESCO’s mandate and acronym, thanks to the intense lobbying by figures like Julian Huxley and Joseph Needham. These individuals later assumed top roles in UNESCO and its Natural Science section. In these founders’ visions, UNESCO was intended to nurture an international perspective and “world-mindedness” via science. Some believed that this would lay the foundation for global governance grounded in scientific principles and technocratic expertise, thereby framing a long-term and global blueprint for progressive politics in the postwar era. During a discussion with Danish science journalist Børge Michelsen at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in November 1946, Needham expressed his belief in world governance as an inevitable phase in the “social evolution of humanity”. UNESCO’s operational plans aligned with these grand ambitions: its Natural Science section aimed to boost the production and sharing of scientific knowledge, enable regular movement of professionals and technical experts, aid in transferring equipment from core to peripheral regions worldwide and captivate global audiences by maximizing the potential of all extant mass media.
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