Collaboration in Indian physics: A case study of the macro and micro parametrization of sub-disciplines (1800–1950)

Abstract

The decade beginning 1920 is an important watershed in the history of physics in modern India. This is evident from the bibliometric data available on the publications in physics between 1800 and 1950. The paper studies the evolution of collaboration in four subdisciplines of physics during this period. In order to do so, two sets of measures of research collaboration have been employed. The collaboration index and collaboration coefficient have been calculated for the sub-disciplines. As far as the micro-parametrization of the discipline is concerned, collaboration measures developed by Egghe are obtained for the research careers of four leading Indian physicists, who were responsible for the institutionalization of physics research in India. In the present case the role of individuals responsible for the institutionalization of physics research is seen to be germane to the explosion of the number of publications in the 1920s. At the conjucture of the history of science and scientometrics, it is evident how the former can endow the latter with a modality of explanation; further, it is evident how scientometrics can inform the efforts of historians of science.