The research arm of a university offers communities a way to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. But how universities—which have existed for centuries—evolved into a place of research is a story that begins in the 17th century.

College of Arts and Sciences history Professor Vera Keller’s latest book, Curating the Enlightenment: Johann Daniel Major and the Experimental Century, delves into the origins of research universities. Published in December 2024 by Cambridge University Press, the new book focuses on the often-overlooked figure of Johann Daniel Major and how his research established the foundations of a modern academia that is ethical and locally grounded.

“Research doesn't just exist; it was invented by humans in a particular form,” Keller says. “It’s a love letter to the liberal arts and a defense of the research university.”

Keller began researching Major as a graduate student years ago when she stumbled upon a 1670 science fiction book he wrote.

“It was incredible, an amazing book,” she recalls. “One of the really interesting features of it is that it begins very dystopian, which is unusual for the period."

This early encounter sparked a deep interest that would eventually culminate in her 2024 book.

The narrative Keller weaves around Major is not just about his personal achievements but also serves as a lens for exploring broader historical questions. “I like to work on these forgotten characters and use them as a window onto wider questions and a wider period,” Keller says.

Major was an outlier for having a critical view on scientific progress, Keller says.

“He imagines a dark future for humankind,” she notes. “He says the greatest discoveries—the printing press, the compass, and guns—have all been terrible for humankind. And he warns that the art of flight will only bring more destruction.”

This critical perspective on science's role in society forms a significant theme in Keller’s history of Major. She contrasts his vision with the dominant narrative of the Enlightenment and his efforts to develop a more ethical approach to experimental science.

Major was among the first to introduce experimental science seminars in universities, but with a notable difference: He opposed using science for colonial and violent purposes.

“Major and his colleagues were horrified by the integration of violence and colonialism into science,” Keller explains. “They wanted to introduce experimental science into universities in a way that wasn’t about promoting the slave trade, which was what many were doing.”

The book explores Major's innovative ideas about museums and collecting. Contrary to the global appropriation trends of his time, Major believed in local collecting and the importance of state-of-the-art museum arrangements that respected cultural contexts.

“He thought people should collect locally but share a common framework,” Keller says. “It’s the opposite of how everyone else was approaching collecting in this period.”

Keller faced challenges as she wrote Curating the Enlightenment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keller, who won a Guggenheim Fellowship for the project, had to pivot from extensive archival travels to relying on digital resources and the materials she could access locally. Despite these hurdles, the process was profoundly enriching for her.

“Every time I opened one of his books, my jaw would hit the floor,” Keller says. “There was always some crazy, amazing statement or way of conceptualizing things that were out there and creative.”

Curating the Enlightenment follows Keller’s award-winning The Interlopers: Early Stuart Projects and the Undisciplining Knowledge. Her 2023 book won the Phyllis Goodhart Gordan Book Prize from the Renaissance Society of America and the Leo Gershoy Award from the American Historical Association. It was also shortlisted for the John Ben Snow Prize from the North American Conference on British Studies.

Keller hopes Curating the Enlightenment will help readers appreciate the historical roots of research and the ongoing relevance of universities as places of critical thinking and ethical inquiry.

“It's a history of what is research and what is a research university,” Keller explains. “I’m telling a new story about where those ideas came from and why they’re still important today.”

—By Codi Farmer, College of Arts and Sciences