Over the last couple of years, historians of science and the humanities have taken great interest in projects related to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe and their global interconnectedness. However, opportunities for a joint discussion of such projects are rare and often rely on ad hoc initiatives. After the inauguration of a forum for projects that link approaches from the history of science and the humanities with specific regional expertise in summer 2019 at Erfurt, we wan to continue the collaborative venture of elaborating on (trans)regional historical and political epistemologies.

The initiative aims at a productive debate between projects from history, sociology, literature, media studies, etc. dealing with scientific endeavours and specific investigations in (academic) research, institutions, migration of knowledge etc. We discuss perspectives on the local, regional, (post-)imperial or national frameworks of Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe in the light of specific theoretical frames, challenge the methodological perspectives of these projects, and seek to identify synergies between them.

The workshop is open to all young researchers focussing on the history of politics, materiality, and practices of (non-)academic research with case studies centred in or related to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe in the broadest sense. To create a productive environment, we are particularly interested in discussing work in progress. The workshop will be based on pre-cirulated papers from ongoing research projects. They will be read and evaluated by all participants and each invited paper will be assigned to a senior researcher for a special commentary to open the floor.

• The seminar Central, Eastern and South Eastern European Histories of Science and the Humanities will take place on Friday, 2 October 2020 between 10am and 6pm at the University of Vienna. It is hosted jointly by the Department of History and the Department of Contemporary History (University of Vienna) in collaboration with the research initiative (East) European Epistemologies at the Max-Weber-Kolleg for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, Erfurt. Working languages will be English and German, a passive understanding of both is required. 

Dr. Friedrich Cain, Universität Erfurt

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kleeberg, Universität Erfurt

Dr. Jan Surman, HSE Moscow

Lukas Becht, University of Vienna

Prof. Dr. Claudia Kraft, University of Vienna

Prof. Dr. Anna Echterhölter, University of Vienna

Please direct proposals and questions to Lukas Becht (lukas.becht@univie.ac.at) and Friedrich Cain (friedrich.cain@uni-erfurt.de)

Lukas Becht
Institute of East European History
Spitalgasse 2, Hof 3.2
1090 Wien
Austria

Friedrich Cain
Max-Weber-Kolleg
Steinplatz 2
99085 Erfurt
Germany

 Program

 Venue: ONLINE (login data will be circulated among participants and invited guests separately)

Friday, 2 October 2020

• 9:45 Informal welcome round over coffee or tea and final opportunity to test technical equipment

• 10:00 Introduction

•  10:15 – 11:00 Ionut Mircea Marcu (University of Bucharest & EHESS Paris): “The historiographical field in post-socialist Romania. Institutions, careers and epistemic innovations“
  • commentary: Balázs Rencsényi (Department of History, CEU)

• 11:15 – 12:00 Davide Crippa (Centre for Science Technology and Society Studies, Czech Academy of Sciences): “The Teaching of Elementary Mathematics at the University of Prague during the 18th Century”
  • commentary: László Kontler (Department of History, CEU)

• 12:15 – 13:00 Łukasz Bertram (Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw): “Diplomas in Revolution and for Revolution’s Sake. Educational Experience of Polish Communists in the First Half of the 20th Century”
  • commentary: Katharina Kreuder-Sonnen (Department for Contemporary History, University of Vienna)

Lunch Break

• 14:15 – 15:00 Nina Seiler (Slavic Seminar, University of Zurich): “Silently reaching out: The immunitarian crisis of 1968 in Poland as an escape towards transhuman approaches“
  • commentary: Dietlind Hüchtker (Faculty centre for transdisciplinary historicalcultural studies, University of Vienna)

• 15:15 – 16:00 Anne Kluger (Department of Eastern European History, University of Münster): “‘Slavic archaeology’ and its ideological and political penetration. The examples of Witold Hensel (PPR/PRL) and Joachim Herrmann (GDR/DDR)“
  • commentary: Johannes Mattes (History of science, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

• 16:15 – 17:00 Jakub Sawicki (Institute of Eastern and South Eastern European History, University of Munich): “’Er ist ein Fuchs und sehr vorsichtig‘: Der DDRErnährungswissenschaftler Helmut Haenel als Spieler, Stratege und Aufklärer“
  • commentary: Mitchell G. Ash (Department for History, University of Vienna)

17:00 Closing remarks

17:15 – end of workshop