Analysis of the film, Einstein’s Wife.
Project description
The Nova documentary on Einstein’s wife suggests that Mileva Maric Einstein might have been a co-author of the theory of relativity for which Albert Einstein won the Nobel prize. Their collaboration would explain the latter’s extraordinary productivity in 1905, when his major work on this subject first appeared. It would also help explain why he was not equally successful in his later science. But critics say Mileva Maric Einstein was not enough of a genius to be the co-author of the special theory of relativity, affirming Einstein’s role as a (male) genius.
Imagine that you are on the board for a history of science & gender documentary film festival. You have been tasked with writing a critical review of the controversial documentary Einstein’s Wife that will appear in a book about the festival’s films.
The review should explain why the film is considered controversial in reference to its specific stance regarding Mileva Maric Einstein’s contribution to the theory of special relativity, the evidence it uses to support this claim, and the evidence used by the film’s critics.
From there, it should consider the historical problem of determining whether or not Maric was a co-author of special relativityin other words, what is the status of the historical evidence available for evaluating her status as co-author?
Regardless of the quality of evidence, would Maric be considered a co-author by contemporary standards if she discussed the problems with Albert Einstein and checked his calculations and logic? Discuss the implications for the history of science both if she was a co-author, and if she was not.
And discuss whether and how the attribution of co-authorship of this theory to Maric would influence contemporary gender assumptions.