For centuries, books have been the core element at the heart of learning. The evolution of this cultural entity is the theme of the 30th Baltic Conference on History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine. In this Anniversary conference, we will discuss the past, present and future of the book, and its' role in the transmission of knowledge, ideas and values in all the fields of Philosophy, Science, Technology and Medicine.
We welcome submissions relating to the conference theme in its broadest sense. Specific topics of the papers might concentrate on aspects such as:
- The book as an object. How has the production and distribution of books functioned in various historical contexts, and how has this effected history and philosophy of STM? What about collecting books and different ways of organizing the collections?
- Great, debated and/or forgotten books in the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine. Do we really know our classics, the books which changed or at least stirred the world of STM? Would they be worth another look, and would they perhaps give us an occasion for fresh interpretations or contexts? What about books which were important in their own time but are rarely mentioned in our standard history-books nowadays? What does all this tell us about the ways in which our history has been constructed, and why?
- Books and the circulation of knowledge. What has the role of books - or other means of communication (journals, correspondence, blogs...) - been in exchanging ideas in the fields of STM? What kind of intellectual processes do we refer to when talking about circulation or transmission of knowledge?
- The Baltic Sea and books. How has the book-trade across the Baltic developed, or how have books told us how to cross the Sea? How have the scholars over the centuries discussed knowledge and technologies (cartography, ship building, navigation, meteorology, botany, etc.) to cross safely, conquer or to negotiate the elements and treasures of our Mare Nostrum and beyond it?
- Books and the popularization of Science, Technology and Medicine. How have sciences been communicated to wider publics of our societies around the Baltic Sea? In what ways have the accomplishments of Science, Technology and Medicine been made comprehensible to the wider public, or specific publics such as children?
- Scientific illustration and means of visualization in books. What do illustrations such as drawings, photographs, charts, maps, diagrams, etc. tell us about the epistemological, aesthetical or pedagogical values of makers-of-the-knowledge? What about those books in STM in which illustrations have not been important elements?
- Science and fiction in the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. Medical, scientific and/or technological imagination does not always restrict itself to the bare realities of the day. How have utopias, dystopias and other products of the science fiction genre discussed possible futures created by inventions of the STM? What kind of interaction has science fiction had with the actual development of science in various historical - or present contexts? How should this interaction be seen epistemologically?
- Digitalization and the future of the book. Has the role of the book changed fundamentally? Do books still matter in contemporary and future Science, Technology and Medicine, or have we surpassed the book with something which suits better the interests of our present ways of doing STM? What should do with the book in the future?
The conference will be located at the University of Oulu, on the North-East coast of our Baltic Sea. Since the fall 2020 the University of Oulu shares campus with the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, thus creating a hub for activity and innovation for approximately 20 000 students and 3 300 members of the staff. The University of Oulu is the only institution in Finland to host a chair in History of Science. Together with the Centre for Philosophical Studies of History, and the History Department we are happy to host this conference of the Baltic Association for History and Philosophy of Science.
Scholarship at these units is well-known for specializing on the history of medicine and psychiatry, history of the universities especially in the early modern era, and history of the Baltic States. The Centre for Philosophical Studies of History is the only centre of its kind that focuses on both the philosophy of (general) historiography and the philosophy of the historiography of science.
Abstract submission
You are invited to submit your abstract (maximum 300 words) by 1.3.2022 as a pdf-file to the address: BAHPS2022@gmail.com. Accepted proposals will be announced by 4.4.2022, and the preliminary schedule of the conference and the updated practical instructions (concerning the Covid-19 -situation etc.) will be published by 29.4.2022.
Practical information
The standard registration for the conference is 70€, and 40€ for PhD students (late bird registrations after 15th May 2022 will be 90€ / 60€ respectively). The working language is English. The registration fee includes entrance to the conference as a speaker, a conference folder and associated materials and refreshments on both days of the conference. Conference dinner will be organized on Friday the 10th of June and charged separately during the registration.
For more info please check our conference website at www.bahps.org or direct any further inquiries to
BAHPS2022@gmail.com.
We look forward to your contribution and to seeing you at BAHPS2022.