Revenge of the Humdrum: Bureaucracy as Profession and as a Site of Science

Bureaucracy, so often demeaned, should be understood as an embodied means for the production and deployment of knowledge. Its reputation as humdrum and rule-bound is not necessarily undeserved, yet it makes possible a variety of activities on a scale that would otherwise be out of reach. Here we su...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Theodore Porter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: openjournals.nl 2020-12-01
Series:Journal for the History of Knowledge
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view/11168
Description
Summary:Bureaucracy, so often demeaned, should be understood as an embodied means for the production and deployment of knowledge. Its reputation as humdrum and rule-bound is not necessarily undeserved, yet it makes possible a variety of activities on a scale that would otherwise be out of reach. Here we survey and ponder some of its diverse forms as they have adapted to diverse aims and circumstances evolved over several centuries.
ISSN:2632-282X