Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Next in our Institute's Colloquium series 2025/26 "Rethinking #Time in the History of Science": Caroline Winterer on "Catastrophe and #DeepTime." 🌀

🗓️ Mar 3, 2026 (14:00 CET)
📍 Harnack Haus, Berlin

🔗 buff.ly/pQqWD9C

#HistSci #USHistory

Brill Publishes New Open-Access Series "Agriculture and the Making of Sciences" with Support from Max Planck Institute for History of Science | MPIWG Academic publisher Brill releases new open-access series Agriculture and the Making of Sciences

This book is the first in the #OpenAccess series "Agriculture and the Making of Sciences 1100–1700: Texts, Practices, and Transcultural Transmission of Knowledge in Asia," published by @degruyterbrill.bsky.social @dgb-history.bsky.social and supported by the MPIWG.

🔗 bit.ly/3OaNq2B

Book cover titled "Toward a Global History of Soil Sciences, Practices, and Materialities, 1300–1750" with a historical painting depicting an agricultural scene in the lower left corner. People can be seen working outdoors with animals and baskets

📘 New #OpenAccess book edited by Justin Niermeier-Dohoney & Aleksandar Shopov:
“Toward a Global History of Soil. Sciences, Practices, and Materialities, 1300–1750" examines how early modern studies of soil radically transformed scientific knowledge and practice. 🌱

🔗 bit.ly/46mFQb
#HistSci #AgHist

In Memoriam: Wolfgang Lefèvre (1941–2025) | MPIWG In Memoriam: Wolfgang Lefèvre (1941–2025)

Wolfgang Lefèvre, who sadly passed away last December, was an esteemed colleague. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Wolfgang will be deeply missed and remembered with the utmost respect and affection.

🔗 bit.ly/3Hb2a (Obituary for Wolfgang Lefèvre)

The book cover shows three figures in blue and red, drawn in an abstract manner, holding a flag. Two buildings can be seen behind them.

📗 First English translation of the book “Theory of Nature and Mode of Production” by Wolfgang Lefèvre

It reinterprets the Scientific Revolution through a critical historical materialist perspective.

🔗 bit.ly/45Qty

#HistSci

The special issue's cover shows a black chalk sketch of an elephant's head with people in the background.

📙🐘 Humanimalia special issue “Elephant (Research) Routes” edited by Marianna Szczygielska and Violette Pouillard.

It contributes to a rereading of scientific narratives about elephants, seeking to strengthen multidisciplinary dialogue and promote co-existence.

🔗 bit.ly/4Io8V

#SocSci #OpenAccess

📢: Our Spring 2026 Colloquium "Occult Sciences in South Asia: A Non-Western History" starts in three weeks. On Wed 25 Feb 2026, Fabrizio Speziale will talk about "Mahouts’ Secret Language: Human–Elephant Communication in Persianate South Asia" (online).

🔗: tinyurl.com/3enrjt9t

@mpiwg.bsky.social

In @theatlantic.com, @vauhinivara.bsky.social decodes how #OpenAI approaches #Objectivity, with insights from director emerita Lorraine Daston. What happens when corporations encode their values as neutral guidelines?

#HistSci #Rationality #Epistemology #AI #DeepLearning

Associate/Full Professor of Curatorial Practice Director of Centre for Art, Science and Biocultural Ecologies (CASBE) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Young, research intensive, and outward-looking Nanyang Technological University, Singa...

Center for Art, Science, and Biocultural Ecologies Directorship call! This Center in Singapore also collaborates w Max Planck Inst. History of Science @mpiwg.bsky.social. Pls share w folks committed to putting interdisciplinary research results into action! #HistSci #art #EnvHum Deadline 5 Feb

Collage of three images. The first reads: “Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Career. We’re hiring.” The second image shows a group of people at the institute’s courtyard. Image by: MPIWG, 2021. The third image shows the building of the MPIWG. Image by: Reinhard Goerner.

Department “Artifacts, Action, Knowledge” seeks to appoint a #PublicationsManager with work experience in:

✍️ Editorial leadership
📚 Publication management
🌐 Multilingual experience

🗓️ Deadline: Feb 28, 2026
🔗 bit.ly/4k5DWSs

#HistSci #STS #SocSci #Humanities

Collage of three images. The first reads: "Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Career. We're hiring." The second image (kamboompics.com/Pexels (Canva)) shows a symbolic image of electronic circuit in shades of green. Picture by Pexels (pixabay). The third image (setform 2017) displays the MPIWG main building.

New #StudentJob opportunity 🦸‍♀️
Dept. "Artifacts, Action, Knowledge" seeks to hire a #StudentAssistant in #DigitalHumanities with an academic background in #CompSci, #DataScience, #DigiHum, or related disciplines 🦾💻

🗓 Deadline: March 31, 2026
🔗 bit.ly/4eDRUq4

#Sinology #DeepLearning #MachineLearning

Poster of the MPIWG Institute’s Colloquium. It features the titles of its five events below an image that shows a colorful mixture of liquids in red, orange, yellow, green, and violet.

Next in our Institute's Colloquium series 2025/26 "Rethinking #Time in the History of Science": @profemmakowal.bsky.social on "Freezing Time: A Decade of #Cryopolitics" ❄️🕰️

🗓️ Jan 27, 2025 (14:00 CET)
📍 Harnack Haus, Berlin

🔗 bit.ly/48w3WAR

#HistSci #Anthropology @deakinuniversity.bsky.social

We have recently launched our "10 Questions for the Historian of Science"-interview series, in which we ask historians of science about their research, methodologies, impact, and the state of the field today. Check out our first interview with Fangyi Cheng:

www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/feature-stor...

📢 : If you missed Prof. Chihyung Nam"s lecture on "The Origin of the Game of Go" last December, you can now catch it on our YouTube channel.

🔗 : www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kR-...

@mpiwg.bsky.social

17th Forum on Literature and the History of Science | MPIWG Founded in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is one of the more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society. It is dedicated to the…

💡📚 #CfP: 17th Forum on Literature and the History of Science (Jun 19, 2026)

👩‍🎓 Early career scholars are invited to submit and discuss their works-in-progress in #HistSci, #HistLit, and related topics
👀 Feedback will be provided by experts in the field

🔗 bit.ly/9JWS
🗓️ Deadline: Feb 16, 2026

Experts of Identity: Race, Ethnicity, and Science in India, 1910s–1940s | Isis: Vol 115, No 1 Abstract During 1910s–1940s, Indian intellectuals developed physical anthropology as a modern nationalist discipline for the subcontinent. Through their contributions, they sought to construct themsel...

The Derek Price/Rod Webster Prize for an excellent @isisjournal.bsky.social article goes to Sayori Ghoshal, author of "Experts of Identity: Race, Ethnicity, and Science in India, 1910s-1940s"

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

#HSS2025

Feuerwerk hat eine jahrtausendealte Geschichte - das Böllern zu Silvester gehört aber nicht dazu Trotz vieler Nachteile ist die Böllerei zu Silvester sehr beliebt. Die Befürworter können sich auf eine jahrtausendealte Geschichte des Feuerwerks berufen.

Director Dagmar Schäfer talks to @anhspruch.bsky.social of the "Der Rest ist Geschichte" podcast about the origins of black powder in Chinese medicine 🎇

She is one of several scholars who join the show's holiday episode on the cultural history of fireworks.

🔗 bit.ly/4qsB0k (GER)

#HistSci #HistMed

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science wants to thank all who supported us in 2025. We are wishing everybody very happy holidays and all the best for 2026! ☃️🎄🎁

#HistSci

Profile picture of Sarah Lang

Where do #DigitalMethods meet history?🎙️
@sarahalang.bsky.social spoke with Thomas Meyer at @hsozkult.bsky.social about her path from #Alchemy research to #DigitalHumanities, projects like GAMS & CLARIAH‑AT, and today’s #AI challenges.

🎧 www.hsozkult.de/debate/id/fd... (GER)

#DH #HistSci

📢 If you missed Prof. Chihyung Nam’s lecture “The Origin of the Game of Go” last week, you can now watch it on our YouTube channel. If you’d like to be notified about upcoming events, feel free to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications.

@mpiwg.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kR-...

Worried about the environmental impact of using #LLMs in ( #DH ) research, but not sure where to start?
I got you covered!

We reviewed the research & ran a #DigitalHumanities case study with carbon reporting, sharing all the tools, code & info:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno.... ( #DHd #GreeningDH)

Collage aus drei Bildern. Das erste Bild zeigt die Aufschrift: „Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Career. We're hiring.“ Das zweite Bild zeigt Wissenschaftler:innen, die sich in der Bibliothek Bücher anschauen. Das dritte Bild zeigt den Garten des Instituts. (Fotos: setform.de, 2017.)

Neue Stellenanzeige: #Ausbildung zum:r Fachangestellten für Medien- und Informationsdienste, Fachrichtung #Bibliothek

📚 Beschaffung & Pflege des Bestands
🔄 Fernleihe & Digitalisierung
👩‍💻 Service Support
📱 Social Media

🔗 bit.ly/4h0N8
🗓️ Bewerbungsfrist: 31. Januar 2026

#Lehre #Bibliothek #Azubi

Collage of three images. The first reads: "Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Career. We're hiring." The second image shows two people reviewing a document. The third image shows people on the institute's courtyard. Second photo by kamboompics.com/Pexels (Canva). Third image by setform 2017.

Neue #Stellenanzeige: Auszubildende:r zur Kauffrau/zum Kaufmann für #Büromanagement zum 1. September 2026 🦸

🌍 Internationales Umfeld
👩‍🏫 Umfangreiches Fortbildungsangebot
🕵️ Enger Kontakt zu Forschenden
🫰 Gute Bezahlung

🔗 bit.ly/3Kyz6iX
🗓️ Bewerbungsfrist: 31. Juli 2026

#Azubi #Verwaltung #Job #Lehre

Collage aus drei Bildern. Das erste Bild zeigt die Aufschrift: „Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Career. We're hiring." Das zweite Bild zeigt zwei Frauen, die auf einer Bank in der Bibliothek sitzen. Das dritte Bild zeigt das Institut. (Fotos: setform.de, 2017)

Neue #Stellenanzeige: das MPIWG sucht eine:n Systemadministrator:in

💻 Linux System- und Serveradministration
🏫 Weiterentwicklung der Verwaltungsprozesse
🌐 Plattformbetrieb & Automatisierung von Prozessen
🕵️ IT-Sicherheit & Support

🔗 bit.ly/4h0N8
🗓️ Bewerbungsfrist: 31. März 2026

#Job #IT

The book cover features an industrial landscape. Parts of a factory building can be seen in the foreground. A cargo ship can be seen in the background. On the left-hand side is the title “The Material Geographies of the Belt and Road Initiative: Infrastructures and Political Ecologies on the New Silk Road,” with Elia Apostolopoulou, Han Cheng, Jonathan Silver, and Alan Wiig listed as the authors.

📘 New #OpenAccess book edited by Elia Apostolopoulou, Han Cheng, Jonathan Silver, and Alan Wiig:

"The Material #Geographies of the Belt and Road Initiative" examines infrastructures and political ecologies on the #NewSilkRoad, analyzing the impacts of this project.

🔗 bit.ly/4Umr

#China #EnvHist

'Java Man,’ the first Homo erectus discovered, is finally going home Excavated with colonial labor and shipped to the Netherlands, the famous fossil is being repatriated to Indonesia along with 28,000 other fossils.

Journalist-in-residence alumna @rochmyaningsih.bsky.social quotes Dwirahmi Suryandari in National Geographic on the #Repatriation of #JavaMan, the first #HomoErectus discovered, to Indonesia.

🔗 on.natgeo.com/48MVFd6

#HistSci #Paleontology #Restitution

Poster for the event. In the background it features a drawing by Tomás Cohen, consisting of abstract lines of varying stroke boldness and density.

Join #ArtistInResidence Tomás Cohen for a performative lecture with #poetry & music: "The Sex of the Planets: A Week’s Progress" 🪐

The event will be introduced by Jeffrey Kotyk & jointly performed with the musician Salvador Burrell.

🗓️ Dec 12, 2025 (12:30 CET)

📍 MPIWG

🔗 bit.ly/3XwyF

#HistSci

Poster of the MPIWG Institute’s Colloquium. It features the titles of its five events below an image that shows a colorful mixture of liquids in red, orange, yellow, green, and violet.

Next in our Institute's Colloquium series 2025/26 "Rethinking #Time in the History of Science": @profemmakowal.bsky.social on "Freezing Time: A Decade of #Cryopolitics" ❄️🕰️

🗓️ Jan 27, 2025 (14:00 CET)
📍 Harnack Haus, Berlin

🔗 bit.ly/48w3WAR

#HistSci #Anthropology @deakinuniversity.bsky.social

Dear Teun, thank you for pointing that out! It should now be working as supposed.

Collage of three images. The first reads: "Max Planck Institute for the history of Science. Career. We're hiring." The second image shows a researcher presenting at the March 2025 Publications Slam. The third shows a group of people at the institute's courtyard. Second image by Anna Ruhnow, MPIWG 2025. Third image by MPIWG, 2021.

#CallForApplications ✨🔭
Short term #Fellowships with a stipend and self-funded #ResearchStays in #HistSci, #PhilSci, and #SocSci are open to applicants of any nationality 🌏

🔗 bit.ly/4od8Jx5
🗓️ Deadline: Jan 15 and Sep 15 (rolling basis)
📍 Berlin, Germany

#CfA #AcademicCareer