Aims and scope

Why The Future of History of Science and Technology / History of Science and Technology for the Future as the single theme of the Global HST Festival 2023?

First, as was recently pointed out by historian of science Kostas Gavroglu during his Neuenschwander prize lecture, the field of history of science and technology, embedded as it is within the humanities and the social sciences at large, is itself under the threat of instrumentalization and utilitarianism. Indeed, the relevance of our field is questioned time and again when funding is decreased and scholars are expected to inscribe and re-inscribe their research into what is trending and new in science and technology; when programs and courses are being abolished or when we are supposed to demonstrate that our work will help maximize the returns of science and technology for society. We hope that this conference will offer an opportunity to discuss what we as a community believe are our intrinsic values, and sow the seeds of a shared, collective strategy to survive these threats: we must reflect on the future of HST.

Even more importantly, though, we must recognize that we live in a world that is threatened by war and hatred against and between different groups of people, alongside a looming environmental crisis. Uncomfortable as it may be, as historians of science and technology we are all too aware that the very subjects we investigate have played a fundamental role in the creation of such threats. At the same time, though, science and technology have also helped us to overcome those threats in a variety of ways. We see this conference as an opportunity to think about the ways in which the history of science and technology can live up to the new challenges currently faced by societies across the globe: we must think together how HST can contribute to livable futures.

Over 24 hours, speakers from the whole world, coming from a vast array of personal and discilinary backgrounds, will address these two intertwined questions in short talks that will be broadcast live and will remain available for future visualization. Each speaker has been nominated by one of the DHST's constituent bodies: member countries, commissions or scientific sections.