“Centers and Peripheries in Europe: The STEP research project”
CALL FOR PAPERS
“Centers and Peripheries in Europe: The STEP research project”
Conference panel at the 4th European Society for the History of Science congress, Barcelona (Spain), 18-20 November 2010
BACKGROUND
In the historiography of science in Europe, the role of the various local cultures in the representation and appropriation of science is undeniable. Centers are usually defined as places where important new knowledge had been produced while peripheries only act as places that passively received and replicated imported knowledge. The genesis of this distinction is often implicit: it may result from the neglect of the actual scientific life in the so-called peripheral countries, or it may be effected by ´peripheral´ scholars’ strategy to attach their activities to what is considered an important center.
As a result of the work done by the international research group STEP in the last decade, European Periphery has become a historiographical standpoint. Starting from the periphery (or, better, standing on the periphery) might offer a clearer view over the intricate ideological constructs which accompany the establishment of science and technology and obscure their socio-political grounding. In many cases, what looked like a complete synthesis when seen from the point of view of the center, was entirely disassembled when it reached the peripheries to become the object of intense philosophical and political consideration.
Documenting this process helps historians bring forward some crucial moments of the interaction between different socio-political contexts, which led to the shaping of modern science, as well as the role played by the scientific and technological discourses in the establishment of current cultural distinctions.
STEP (Science and Technology in the European Periphery) is a multi-national research group focused on the study of processes and models of circulation of scientific and technological knowledge between European centres and peripheries from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. It was founded ten years ago in Barcelona, and brought together researchers and university teachers from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and many other countries – having recently started to include members from other continents as well. STEP organises thematic meetings held biannually. Besides the foundational meeting in Barcelona, five more meetings took place in Lisbon, Portugal (Scientific travels), Aegina, Greece (Scientific and technological textbooks), Aarhus, Denmark (Traditions and realities of national historiographies of science), Maó, Spain (Scientific and technological popularisation in the European periphery), Istanbul, Turkey (Scientific controversies in the European periphery). The 7th STEP meeting will be held in Galway, Ireland, 17-20 June 2010.
AIMS
Relying on the work of the STEP group, this symposium proposes to reconsider the notion of center and periphery within the context of a history of interconnected cultures in Europe. We aim at developing a critical analysis based on comparative studies, documenting the local cultural settings of science and technology, the mutual interdependence of centers and peripheries (paying attention to the varying meaning and attribution of these terms), and the construction of master narratives by actors and narrators/historians.
Papers are invited to discuss the historiographical tradition of and on peripheral countries, the construction of the very notions of center and periphery, the relevance of the local historiography of science to the establishment of scientific culture in peripheral countries, the presentation of center/periphery images in schoolbooks, newspapers, lectures, etc., or similar themes connecting the European debate with a global perspective on center and periphery. Papers that will combine illustrative case-studies with in-depth historiographical reflections will be greatly appreciated.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Abstracts of 200-300 words and short CVs of the same length should be sent in Word or RTF format to Geert Vanpaemel ( geert.vanpaemel@wet.kuleuven.be), including name and affilitation of the author(s).
DEADLINE: 20th January 2010
For information on the conference and registration deadlines see:
http://4eshs.iec.cat/
Geert Vanpaemel
Manolis Patiniotis
Josep Simon
“Centers and Peripheries in Europe: The STEP research project”
Conference panel at the 4th European Society for the History of Science congress, Barcelona (Spain), 18-20 November 2010
BACKGROUND
In the historiography of science in Europe, the role of the various local cultures in the representation and appropriation of science is undeniable. Centers are usually defined as places where important new knowledge had been produced while peripheries only act as places that passively received and replicated imported knowledge. The genesis of this distinction is often implicit: it may result from the neglect of the actual scientific life in the so-called peripheral countries, or it may be effected by ´peripheral´ scholars’ strategy to attach their activities to what is considered an important center.
As a result of the work done by the international research group STEP in the last decade, European Periphery has become a historiographical standpoint. Starting from the periphery (or, better, standing on the periphery) might offer a clearer view over the intricate ideological constructs which accompany the establishment of science and technology and obscure their socio-political grounding. In many cases, what looked like a complete synthesis when seen from the point of view of the center, was entirely disassembled when it reached the peripheries to become the object of intense philosophical and political consideration.
Documenting this process helps historians bring forward some crucial moments of the interaction between different socio-political contexts, which led to the shaping of modern science, as well as the role played by the scientific and technological discourses in the establishment of current cultural distinctions.
STEP (Science and Technology in the European Periphery) is a multi-national research group focused on the study of processes and models of circulation of scientific and technological knowledge between European centres and peripheries from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. It was founded ten years ago in Barcelona, and brought together researchers and university teachers from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and many other countries – having recently started to include members from other continents as well. STEP organises thematic meetings held biannually. Besides the foundational meeting in Barcelona, five more meetings took place in Lisbon, Portugal (Scientific travels), Aegina, Greece (Scientific and technological textbooks), Aarhus, Denmark (Traditions and realities of national historiographies of science), Maó, Spain (Scientific and technological popularisation in the European periphery), Istanbul, Turkey (Scientific controversies in the European periphery). The 7th STEP meeting will be held in Galway, Ireland, 17-20 June 2010.
AIMS
Relying on the work of the STEP group, this symposium proposes to reconsider the notion of center and periphery within the context of a history of interconnected cultures in Europe. We aim at developing a critical analysis based on comparative studies, documenting the local cultural settings of science and technology, the mutual interdependence of centers and peripheries (paying attention to the varying meaning and attribution of these terms), and the construction of master narratives by actors and narrators/historians.
Papers are invited to discuss the historiographical tradition of and on peripheral countries, the construction of the very notions of center and periphery, the relevance of the local historiography of science to the establishment of scientific culture in peripheral countries, the presentation of center/periphery images in schoolbooks, newspapers, lectures, etc., or similar themes connecting the European debate with a global perspective on center and periphery. Papers that will combine illustrative case-studies with in-depth historiographical reflections will be greatly appreciated.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Abstracts of 200-300 words and short CVs of the same length should be sent in Word or RTF format to Geert Vanpaemel ( geert.vanpaemel@wet.kuleuven.be), including name and affilitation of the author(s).
DEADLINE: 20th January 2010
For information on the conference and registration deadlines see:
http://4eshs.iec.cat/
Geert Vanpaemel
Manolis Patiniotis
Josep Simon
STEP - Science and Technology in the European Periphery