CfP: "Gender and Science in War and Peace"


Conference of the Commission on Women and Gender Studies in History of Science, Technology and Medicine
Division of History of Science and Technology,
International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Tel-Aviv and Ra'anana, Israel
17-20 June 2019

We invite proposals for sessions and standalone papers for Gender and Science in War and Peace: Conference of the Commission on Women and Gender Studies in History of Science, Technology and Medicine. The conference will be held 17-20 June, 2019, co-hosted by the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas of Tel-Aviv University, and the Program in Biological Thought of the Open University of Israel. 

The conference will explore the multilayered relations of gender and science, technology, and medicine (STM) in war and peace. A vast historical scholarship exists on gender and STM, yet historians have under-analyzed contexts associated with war and peacetime (itself defined in relation to war). Across historical periods a great number of scientists and engineers were actively engaged in peace efforts; science was directly linked to military ends; medicine served the aftermath of devastating wars; and technological innovations benefited from military funding. But what role did gender play? We prompt scholars to consider the ways in which STM during times of war and peace have been gendered, not only with an emphasis on the role of women’s participation but also on gender modes of participation in an array of activities related to the binary of war and peace.   

Proposed standalone papers and sessions may address general themes on women, gender and STM, but we especially encourage proposals that align with the following themes:
•    Women in science, technology and medicine in war and postwar enterprises.
•    Scientific constructions of masculinity and femininity that draw upon discourses of war and peace.
•    Women, gender and science in war/postwar policy.
•    Developments in STM influenced by the role of women in war and postwar efforts.
•    Gender dynamics in the sciences resulting from factors associated with war and peace.
•    Gender, science, and national/international politics and diplomacy.


To propose a paper or session of papers:
Submit the title(s) and abstract(s) by 15 January 2019 to WGS.DHST.2019@gmail.com


Local Organizers:

Nurit Kirsh, Director
The Program in Biological Thought
Open University of Israel


Shaul Katzir, Director
The Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas
Tel-Aviv University

The Commission on Women and Gender in History of Science, Technology and Medicine:

Maria Rentetzi, President
National Technical University of Athens

Don Opitz, Secretary
DePaul University

Annette Vogt, Treasurer
Max Plank Institute for the History of Science