1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910483388303321

Autore

Torstendahl Rolf

Titolo

Engineers in Western Europe : ascent - and decline? : a profession torn between technology and economy, 1850-1990, with outlooks to the present / / Rolf Torstendahl

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham, Switzerland : , : Springer, , [2021]

©2021

ISBN

3-030-57438-5

Edizione

[1st ed. 2021.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XVII, 334 p. 30 illus., 25 illus. in color.)

Disciplina

620

Soggetti

Engineering - Societies, etc

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

From Guild Traditions to Profession -- Professional Consciousness: Engineers´ Associations (approx. 1850-1930) -- Knowledge, Careers and Mobility: Engineers from Institutes in Numbers and Idividually (1880-1990) -- A Peak of Engineers´ Industrial Power and new Competitors (approx. 1930-1990) -- The Impact of Engineers in Western Europe 1850-1990.

Sommario/riassunto

In his book, pending between history and sociology, on engineers in thirteen countries of the western part of Europe, Professor Rolf Torstendahl approaches the development from around 1850 up to the present situation from different angles. - One examines the educational patterns and the author shows how widely different types of formation of engineers existed in Britain, France and Germany in the early period. They were paradigmatic for other countries. Differences remain but patterns have gradually become similar. - From another angle the author makes professional organisations of engineers a main object of study, and they vary from alumni associations to powerful lobby organisations. - A third approach in the book is to examine engineers versus sociological theories of professionalism on the one hand and theories of managerialism on the other. In the last chapter the author also discusses topics like technocracy and the responsibility of engineers.