CHRISTINE KEINER is a professor of science, technology, and society at Rochester Institute of Technology and the author of The Oyster Question: Scientists, Watermen, and the Maryland Chesapeake Bay since 1880 (Georgia).
The book deserves attention from readers interested in maritime
affairs, who may be particularly interested in the sheer length of
historical concern over the canal’s functionality and
vulnerability; in the history of technology, particularly of high
modernism, technological mega-projects, and the history of failure;
and in the growth of environmental lobbying, the ecological
sciences, and their interactions with government. It also provides
a fascinating angle on American political involvement in the
isthmus, especially from the 1940s through the 1970s.
*Global Maritime History*
Deep Cut is an important study in revealing the interplay between
changing geopolitical realities, scientific developments, and
environmental dynamics. It is also a prime example of what could be
called 'history that did not happen.' Keiner demonstrates the
historiographical importance of unfulfilled plans and unbuilt
structures by delving deep into the mindsets and the
decision-making processes of politicians, scientists, and engineers
in their evaluation of opportunities and risks. Beyond the
immediate subject matter at hand, Deep Cut is thus a book all about
contingency and why it matters in history and beyond. . . .
Powerful in showing not only why certain undertakings remained at
the level of plans, calculations, and visions but also why these
forestalled projects are just as important as built structures in
providing historians with insights into the ideological limits of
particular political, scientific, and environmental settings.
*H-Net Reviews*
Deep Cut is a model study of science in context, one that
satisfyingly explains the complex origins, long career, and
ultimate demise of a seemingly crazy idea.
*History of Science Society*
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