title: Hyperprofessionalism and the crisis of readership in the history of science.
abstract: There is a crisis of readership for work in our field, as in many other academic disciplines. One of its causes is a pathological form of the professionalism that we so greatly value. "Hyperprofessionalism" is a disease whose symptoms include self-referentiality, self-absorption, and a narrowing of intellectual focus. This essay describes some features and consequences of hyperprofessionalism in the history of science and offers a modest suggestion for a possible cure.
authors.affiliation: Department of the History of Science, Harvard University, Science Center 371, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shapin
mesh_terms: D006663:Historiography; D006801:Humans; D010684:Philosophy; D024382:Professional Role; D012586:Science; D012961:Sociology; D014481:United States