Hi Bhav and all,
A bit late to the party, but I've researched a little and would like to
share a little context with you. The post on LinkedIn briefly quotes a
secondary source, which includes only a few paragraphs on the *1828
Berlin Gathering ("Versammlung")*.
*There is also a comprehensive 57-page report (in German) on this
gathering*, published by the organizers (Humboldt and Lichtenstein) a
year later. It is downloadable from
https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_Deutscher_Naturforscher_und_%C3%84rzte
Interestingly, one goal of that report was to satisfy the large interest
in "how the preparations were made, since this might be useful in case
the gathering was to occur in a large and populous place again" (page
IV). The content of the report is truly amazing and answers all related
questions; plus, it gives an account of how things played out, in
practice. It states that organization started 9 months ahead of the
gathering (p. 1). Organizers were aware that the number of participants
would grow considerably, compared to earlier years (p. 2 & 4; today it
is assumed that ultimately around 460 men attended).
*A few key points of the report*:
1. Besides the participants, around 600 local dignitaries received
tickets. So there was a selected "audience", too.
2. Every day 10am-2pm, there was a "public gathering" for all
participants. Every participant had a reserved, numbered seat
(p.12), and both the selected audience and the participants had
their own, separate entrances and seating spaces. There was also
kind of a gallery with access completely open for everybody. There
is a sketch of the room setup in the annex, it resembles a school
setup with rows of tables facing a presenter stage.
3. The public gatherings were expressly meant for /lectures/
("Vorträge"), and considering roughly 460 participants would of
course not allow for everybody of them giving a lecture. At the
beginning, the lectures of the day, and their sequence, were to be
shouted out loud; at the end, the same for the lectures of the
following day (p. 11 & 12).
4. A few separate rooms were reserved for conversations and
communications ("Mittheilungen", literally: "sharings"),
presentations and demonstrations that were not of "wide interest",
where members of specific "sections" (topics) would gather (p. 12 & 22)
5. After the daily public gatherings, participants would have lunch
together at 20 tables, 24 persons each, in a huge hall.
6. The afternoons were reserved for excursions.
7. On the second day, "sections" had formed for "geognosis and
geography"; "physics and chemistry"; "anatomy and physiology";
"zoology"; "botanics"; "practical medicine"; also the sections had
agreed on when and where they would meet (p. 22); the naming changed
a bit later, and the sections had elected chairmen (1-2, per
section) (p. 31)
8. The report states that on the evening on the second day, members of
the "sections" gathered in large numbers at the "Cafe royal" and
more lectures and presentations were given (p. 23 & 24);
interestingly, the report mentions both lectures ("Vorträge") as
well as conversations & communications (which is my interpretation
of "Mittheilungen"); it seems to be clear that /both/ happened, from
the records of what happened in the sections (p. 32 to 55):
lectures; handouts of new maps and other documents; presentations of
medical case studies etc.
9. On the evening of the third day, the "sections" gathered again; it
was noted that more rooms were provided, and some rooms were cleared
more, to allow for more space. (p. 24)
10. At the end of the event, suggestions for a follow-up event were
presented and there was a vote (p. 24)
11. On the last day, a specific interpretation (!) of of the statues was
discussed and won a majority: the event organizer was to decide,
together with the members of the respective sections which lectures
were "suitable" for the large, daily public gatherings; but also,
nobody should be stopped from from giving their lecture during the
large, daily public gatherings.
*My personal interpretation*: in various places, it is mentioned that a
lot of interaction took place in the breaks, and during the excursions.
The extensive reports on the gatherings of the "sections" (as mentioned
under 8.) make these gatherings look quite like predecessors of
"barcamps" (everybody brings and shares something, and participates);
however, the lists of documents and materials handed out and/or shown
make it clear that most of what was shared must have been "prepared at
home".
Cheers,
Rolf
Bhavesh Patel via OSList wrote on 28.06.23 07:14:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/true-inventor-unconference-tim-o-reilly/
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