Groups

History and Theory

The History and Theory Working Group focuses on theoretical and methodological issues such as philosophy of history, historical research, interpretation, and narrative—not necessarily confined to the history of science. The working group meets monthly at the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science to discuss a colleague’s work in progress or to discuss readings that are of particular interest to participants.  Meetings are usually held at the Center from 6:00 to 7:30 on second Tuesdays.

If you would like to join this working group please contact .

Upcoming Meetings

October 8, 2013

TBA

November 12, 2013

TBA

December 10, 2013

TBA

Past Meetings

April 9, 2013

Darin Hayton introduced Meaning and Understanding in the History of Ideas by Quentin Skinner, History and Theory 8 (1969): 3–53 and More Theses on the Philosophy of History by John Keane, Meaning and Context, ed. James Tully, 204–217

March 12, 2013

Tiago Saraiva introduced selections from Carlo Ginzburg’s Threads and Traces and Perry Anderson’s review The Force of the Anomaly

February 12, 2013

Babak Ashrafi introduced selections from the 2012 Osiris, Clio Meets Science: The Challenges of History
Is It Time to Forget Science? Reflections on Singular Science and Its History by Jan Golinski
Science Is Dead; Long Live Science by Peter Dear
On the Historical Forms of Knowledge Production and Curation: Modernity Entailed Disciplinarity, Postmodernity Entails Antidisciplinarity by Paul Forman

December 11, 2012

John Tresch introduced:
Kristin Asdal, Contexts in Action—And the Future of the Past in STS, STHV 37 (4, 2012): 379-403
Daston, L. Science Studies and the History of Science, Critical Inquiry 34 (4, 2009): 798-816.
Dear, P., and Jasanoff, S. Dismantling Boundaries in Science and Technology Studies, Isis 101 (4, 2010) 759-774.

November 13, 2012:

Audra Wolfe introduced the Prologue and The Search for Power (chp. 3) from The Age of Fracture by Daniel Rogers.

October 9, 2012

Darin Hayton introduced the Introduction and The History of Science (chp. 7) from The Descent of Ideas by Donald R. Kelley.

April 25, 2012

Darin Hayton introduced two reading by R. G. Collingwood, Historical Evidence from The Idea of History and Question and Answer from An Autobiography.

March 28, 2012

Lydia Pyne introduced Concepts of Nature, Concepts of Culture, chp. 3 of The Logic of the Cultural Sciences by Ernest Cassierer.

February 23, 2012

Joe Martin introduced What about the Natural Sciences, chp. 3 of The Social Construction of What? and How Inevitable are the Results of Successful Science? by Ian Hacking.

January 25, 2012

Darin Hayton introduced G.S. Jowett & V. O’Donnell, What is Propaganda, and How Does it Differ From Persuasion? from their book, Propaganda and Persuasion, 5th ed. (Sage, 2011), 1–48.

November 22, 2011

Kurt Macmillan introduced selections from Gender Trouble by Judith Butler.

October 26, 2011

Joana Radin introduced selections from Archive Fever by Jacques Derrida

May 25, 2011

Darin Hayton introduced Bourdieu, the Introduction and Chapter 3, “Habitus and the Space of Life Styles” from Distinction.  Suggested further readings are Chapter 1, “The Aristocracy of Culture,” Chapter 2, “The Social Space and Its Transformations,” Chapter 3, “Culture and Politics”, the Conclusion and Appendix 1—as well as he following article from The Nation: “Faulty Towers: The Crisis in Higher Education” which is available at http://www.thenation.com/article/160410/faulty-towers-crisis-higher-education

April 27, 2011

Darin Hayton introduced Nobert Elias: “Towards a Theory of Civilizing Processes” in The Civilizing Process, pp. 365-447.