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Short Abstract

By examining amateur practices in natural history and astronomy in peripheral Portugal, this paper reveals how social hierarchies shaped participation in science and how these experiences anticipated contemporary forms of citizen science

Abstract

This paper examines various forms of amateur participation in Portuguese science between the 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on natural history and astronomy. By examining these practices within a country often considered peripheral to the European scientific centres, the paper highlights how social position, institutional affiliation, and scientific authority shaped both the visibility and invisibility of those who worked outside professional scientific institutions.

In natural history, amateur naturalists of the late 19th century and early 20th century illustrate how individuals contributed to museum collections and taxonomic knowledge through personal initiatives and correspondence networks. Their work also reflects the active involvement of women in observation and classification practices, forms of participation that are often overlooked in Portuguese scientific narratives. At the same time, members of the aristocracy combined leisure, curiosity, and patronage to support the creation of natural history collections, some of which were developed with the contribution of aristocratic women.

This paper also revisits the solar eclipse of 1900, a great example of public engagement with astronomy in Portugal aimed at men and women. The dissemination of a booklet on the eclipse by the director of the Lisbon Astronomical Observatory, his extensive collaboration with newspapers, and the efforts to build a national network of correspondents gave him a decisive role in coordinating and amplifying public participation in scientific observation.

By intertwining these cases, we will show that Portuguese amateur science reveals some examples of historical interdependence between professional and lay knowledge, offering valuable insights for inclusive and participatory approaches in contemporary citizen science in peripherical contexts.