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Marginality and Innovation in Science

Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Ballantine Hall, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA

Richard F. Hirsh

Department of History, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.

Sociologists and historians of science have frequently used the concept of the `marginal man' to describe those most likely to contribute major scientific innovations. An examination of X-ray astronomy during its formative years (1960-75) suggests that `marginal' scientists are no more likely than others to contribute innovations, a finding contrary to most other studies. Moreover, the concept of marginality is, in its present use, so ambiguous as to be almost worthless as a conceptual tool for systematic inquiry into the sources of scientific innovation.

Social Studies of Science, Vol. 13, No. 1, 87-106 (1983)
DOI: 10.1177/030631283013001005


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