Summary: The project will investigate the 1959 centenary of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, and the development of its associated literature, in comparative and global context. The centenary was at once a moment of commemoration of a major event in the history of science, an episode in the public legitimation of the new genetic biology (the ‘modern synthesis’), and a foundational moment in the development of the so-called ‘Darwin Industry’. It engendered much discussion and debate about the relationship between evolution and religious belief that went on to inform and shape prevailing cultural narratives of conflict, but also narratives of complementarity and complexity. The project will therefore ask:

• How was the centenary commemorated in different national and disciplinary contexts, and how were relations between science and belief understood in each of these?
• How were the interpretations and presuppositions of the ‘Darwin Industry’, including regarding religious belief, established in the centenary moment?
• What reflections on public communication about science and belief can be drawn from this moment in the history of science communication?

Building on the work of Smocovitis (1999), Hall (2021) and Kern (2022), who have examined the centenary celebrations at the University of Chicago, in British broadcasting, and in the history of paleoanthropology, the project will examine these questions in wider comparative context. An online symposium will lead to a forum or special issue of an appropriate history of science journal, in the first instance targeting Isis, which frequently runs themed forums. We expect that contributions will examine the centenary celebrations in several national contexts, such as in Australia and Canada; the centenary’s role in disciplinary contexts, such as in anthropology; the history of science communication by museums and universities; and the general development of the early ‘Darwin industry’ historiography.

The project relates to the wider aims and objectives of the INSBS in giving insights into how historical knowledge can be used to frame cultural narratives about relations between science and belief. In line with the network’s global orientation, it will be transnational and comparative in orientation, with a focus on historical public perceptions, media narratives, and the practices of science communication.