In her PhysLrnR post of 25 Aug 2005 22:17:06-0400 titled "Physics
Ethnography," Leslie Dickie wrote, in part:
"I'd like to add to Dewey's suggestion of an ethnographic study . . .
[Nespor (1994)]. . . . of physics students, [Sharon Traweek's
(1988)] ethnographic study of physics professors/researchers,
'Beamtimes and Lifetimes: The World of High Energy Physicists'. "
For an earlier (1973) and classic ethnographic study of high-energy
physicists see "Originality and competition in science: a study of
the British high energy physics community" by Jerry Gaston.
Gaston's book contains a hilarious forward by SLOTH (SoLid-state
THeorist) John Ziman on the bizarre habits of the primitive HEP (High
Energy Physicist) and HET (High Energy Theorist) tribes, which even
today inhabit contemporary physics departments and labs as they did
two decades ago [Traweek (1988)].
As for NUP's (Nuclear Physicists) and NUT's (Nuclear Theorists), I
recommend Ronald Giere's "Explaining Science: A Cognitive Approach."
The late Herbert Simon is quoted on the back cover as follows: "Giere
has written a refreshing and persuasive book, using the knowledge
that has been gained in cognitive science to describe how science is
done and to disclose the normative basis of the actual practices of
scientists. His case is beautifully illustrated by in-depth analyses
of three concrete examples of science in the laboratory (physics) and
the field (geology)." The physics laboratory was the Indiana
University Cyclotron Facility.
Among my unpublished discoveries as a part-time ethnographer among
the savage HEP's, HET's, NUP's, and NUT's of Indiana University, are:
(a) HEP's constitute one of the few physics tribes whose members are
*language* illiterate ;-) - as judged by their inability to read my
memos urging reform of introductory physics courses - but are still
highly *computer* literate;
(b) NUT's often place a higher priority on theoretical speculation
than experimental results ;-). I forbear extrapolation to certain
fragments of current PER literature ;-).
REFERENCES
Gaston, J. 1973. "Originality and competition in science: a study of
the British high energy physics community." University of Chicago
Press.
Nespor, J. 1994. "Knowledge in Motion: Space, Time and Curriculum in
Undergraduate Physics and Management." Falmer Press.
Traweek, S. 1988. "Beamtimes and Lifetimes: The world of high energy
physics," Harvard University Press. Reviewed (rather unfavorably) by
HEP's Metropolis & Quigg (1989).