CfP: Shaped by the Sea: Histories of Ocean STM (CHSTM June 2019)

‘Shaped by the Sea’ is a two-day workshop which seeks to examine how the ocean environment has shaped science, medicine and technology. Through a focus on a range of contexts, the workshop hopes to address question such as: How did working and travelling within a maritime environment affect experiences and developments in medical, scientific and technological practice? How did the oceans shape the production of knowledge? How did science, medicine and technology underpin the dynamic relationship between land and sea, and how did this shape our understanding of the oceans?

The workshop aims to draw together scholars working on any aspect of science, medicine and technology in or on the global ocean, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and from across all historical periods. We invite papers which touch on a wide range of possible topics including, but not limited to:

·       The physical effects of the ocean environment and the space of the ship

·       The relationship between land and sea in the production of scientific knowledge

·       The effects of ocean voyages on the body and mind

·       Developments in seafaring and ocean technology

·       Physical and mental health at sea

·       Relationship with colonialism, exploration, marine exploitation

·       Meteorology and Oceanography

·       The human influence on marine ecosystems

·       The connection of ocean science, medicine and technology to global mobility

Please send proposals (max. 300 words) for 15-20 minute papers or alternative sessions to ShapedbytheSea2019@gmail.com by 5 April 2019.

We particularly encourage submissions from postgraduate and early-career researchers, and we are delighted to be able to offer a number of small travel bursaries with the assistance of the Institute of Historical Research and the British Society for the History of Science. Please indicate in your email if you would like to be considered for a travel bursary.