070087 VO History of Science (2023W)

Covid, climate, environment, resources, energy, identity - the sciences are once again at the center of the political and societal debate. What are the implications of these recent developments for the historiography? Do we need to rethink the history of science - its relationship to politics, economics and society? And what do historians of science actually do?

The introductory lecture gives insights into the field of history of science, discusses central problems of the discipline, and discusses new research perspectives. Students will get an overview of important developments in the sciences since the early modern period.

The departure point for each session is a book that elaborates on an important subject in the history of science and puts it in a broad context of discussion: from the history of objectivity and feminist-activist criticism of science, to the role of science in the development of nation-state and colonial regimes, in the military, and in the economy, to current debates about the Anthropocene. The focus will be on a central development of the discipline in recent years: from a history of the knowledge society to a political history of knowledge.