Information in nineteenth century England : exploring contemporary socio-cultural perceptions and understandings
Historical interest in the information society and the tools and techniques of information processing and management has been the subject of much recent scholarship. In contrast, this research examines understandings of information from a social and cultural perspective and offers new insights into the chronology of `modern' information. The focus is on nineteenth century England and how contemporary society thought of and understood information. As a consequence of this, this work also investigates the role and manifestation of information according to these perceptions. The research explores perceptions from a variety of nineteenth century viewpoints, including etiquette and behavioural literature, Victorian periodicals, events such as the Channel Tunnel panics of the 1880s and discrete individual case studies. The thesis concludes that the nineteenth century formed the crux point between premodem understandings of information, and the start of what we would now term a period of modernity so far as information is concerned. The foundation of the research is nineteenth century published and archival material, contemporary newspapers, journals and private papers.
Z665 Library Science. Information Science
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