[Workshop] Whose Story of Science? Diversity and the History of Science (Amsterdam, 7 December 2017; Deadline 19 November)

31 oktober 2017

Is the public image of who contributes to science diversifying? Over the last years various types of media seem to be disavowing traditional narratives of men in locations of power as the sole generators of knowledge, such as the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ starring African-American mathematicians working in the U.S. space program. Users of social media unfold serious critiques in playful guise via hashtags like #ILookLikeAProfessor and #ILookLikeAHistorian.

The emerging attention for issues of diversity and inclusion in knowledge production appeals to the field of history of science to contribute to this development in a meaningful way. “As historians, we have a responsibility for the future, not just the past”, Patricia Fara emphasized during her keynote lecture at the 2017 BSHS meeting. In the last decades, feminist, postcolonial, and queer theorists have attempted to point out new directions, to rewrite histories, make subjugated stories audible, and critically rethink futures. These revealing and vigorous approaches remain underplayed in Dutch (postgraduate) education in the history of science.

We therefore invite PhD candidates, post-docs and research master students with an interest for the history of science to participate in a workshop with professor of History Mineke Bosch (RUG) at Atria, the institute on gender equality and women’s history in Amsterdam.

The workshop will attend both the conceptual and practical aspects of diversity in history of science. Participants will peruse literature circulated in advance to enable lively discussion of the topic. At the workshop we will visit the archives of Atria and engage with primary source material. The participants will be offered the opportunity to re-shape the discussions and archival work into blog entries and Wikipedia contributions.

All participants are warmly invited to attend a public event on the issue of diversity in history of science at Atria that same evening.

Date and time

Thursday, 7 December, 13.00-17.00.

Venue

Atria, Vijzelstraat 20, 1017 HK, Amsterdam.

Registration

Gewina is generously supporting the event, which makes a limited participation fee of 20€ (for PhD’s and Postdocs) or 10€ (for ReMa students) possible, including lunch & coffee.

Please send a short bio (100w) and motivation (100w) to j.p.smit@phil.leidenuniv.nl and/or d.r.van.trijp@hum.leidenuniv.nl before 19 November.

Image source: ‘Instituut voor de Wetenschap der Andragogie’ (poster detail, 1989) || Collection IAV/Atria