Anne Secord

Anne Secord is an Affiliated Scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. Her research explores practices of natural history, particularly focusing on 19th-century popular science, science education, and working-class engagement with science. She also investigates horticulture, medicine, and consumption patterns in the 18th century, bridging historical and sociocultural analyses of scientific practices.

Her work integrates interdisciplinary perspectives, examining how scientific knowledge was produced, disseminated, and consumed outside traditional academic circles. Key contributions include studies on artisan botanists in 19th-century Lancashire and Manchester, the role of botanical specimens in observation practices, and the socio-cultural dimensions of scientific illustration and museum collections.

Secord’s publications highlight themes of collaboration between artisans and gentlemen in natural history, the intersection of literature and science (e.g., Elizabeth Gaskell), and the material and visual aspects of scientific work. Her research often emphasizes accessibility and grassroots participation in science, reflecting a commitment to understanding science’s societal impacts.

She has edited seminal texts like Gilbert White’s The Natural History of Selborne and contributed to projects such as Colonial Natures and Artisan Naturalists. Her academic output spans monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles, with a focus on 18th- and 19th-century science and its cultural contexts.