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Histories of Knowledge (HEC-AS-HISSCI-26)

HEC-AS-HISSCI-26

Description

This seminar will be held by Prof. Elaine Leong

The history of knowledge has gained traction over the past decade or so and has developed into a bona fide subfield with its own conference (Lisbon 2023, Lund 2025 and Utrecht 2027) and journals (Know and the Journal of the History of Knowledge). Yet, the debate on its merit is still ongoing, as evidenced by the conversations between Peter Burke and James Secord in 2024. This seminar invites EUI researchers to join the debate. 
We begin by interrogating the turn to the history of knowledge and will read and discuss some of the newest and most exciting works in the field. Our conversations will cover a range of subjects including scale and the history of knowledge; archives and paperwork; visible and invisible labour; histories of the body, resources and the environment, and repair and maintenance. Together, the selected readings showcase different analytical frameworks, methodologies, and approaches to history writing. Each session will focus on 2-3 articles or book chapters, introduced by researchers who will also take turns to chair the sessions. In March, Pablo Gomez will join us for an online discussion of his new book Bloody Numbers: The Early Atlantic Slave Trade and the Invention of Modern Corporeality (Chicago, 2026).