CfP: Beyond the Academy. The Practice of Mathematics from the Renaissance to the Nineteenth Century
Submission are invited for the meeting 'Beyond the Academy. The Practice of Mathematics from the Renaissance to the Nineteenth Century', which will take place in York on 6-7 April 2017.
In the history of mathematics, no less than in the study of history more generally, much attention has traditionally been given to the major figures like Newton, Euler, or Cauchy. However (again, as in history more generally), there is much to be gained from studying the ‘minor’ figures in the story of the development of mathematics: people whose names are not associated with any groundbreaking discoveries or who have not proved any major theorems, but who nevertheless employed mathematics on a daily basis, and who thus contributed in a broader sense to mathematical progress. This two-day conference is dedicated primarily to the life and works of such ‘Mathematical Practitioners’. Who were they? In what milieus did they move? How did they make their living? A secondary, closely related theme is ‘mathematics beyond the universities’: just as a great deal of attention has been focused on high-profile figures, so too has there been an emphasis in scholarly work on the pursuit of mathematics within major metropolitan or academic centres. The role of women in this story is a particularly important consideration. Our aim with this conference is also to provide a forum for investigating the history of mathematical practice in non-academic or non-urban settings.
We welcome proposals for talks on themes falling within these overall conference guidelines. There is no geographical restriction. Talks should aim to be no longer than 40 minutes to allow sufficient time for discussion. Titles and abstracts should be sent to Christopher
Hollings <christopher.hollings@maths.
Further details of the conference, including the names of confirmed
speakers, can be found here:
This conference is organised under the auspices of the British Society
for the History of Mathematics, and is funded by a grant from the Arts
and Humanities Research Council.