11th Gewina Woudschoten Conference

Normal science? Everyday knowledge practices in times of calm and crisis

The times, they are a-changin'. But is research changing with them? At the 11^th Gewina Woudschoten Conference, we would like to investigate how daily research routines are, or are not, affected by shifting world orders, environmental disasters, pandemics, wars and other calamities.

We know that (perceived) crises often affect what research is being done: scientists follow society’s needs, or at least its money. Here, we aim to look at how crises affect how research is being done. How do you organize fieldwork in a war zone? How do you carry out your calculations if there is a shortage of paper? How do you collaborate with international colleagues if you can’t travel to other countries? We aim to focus on the more mundane elements of science, to explore how crises shape scientists’ daily routines – and to what extent the everyday routines help scientists navigate crises. In addition, reflections on how current developments may determine our own practices as historians are also welcome.

The preliminary programme can be found here. 

Contact: gewina.woudschoten@uu.nl Please feel free to contact us about any accessibility needs – we will do our best to accommodate them!

The conference is supported by Freudenthal Institute Utrecht University, Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities Utrecht University, Stichting Historiae Medicinae, Huygens Institute KNAW, Gewina Belgian-Dutch Society for the History of Science and Universities, Vossius Center for the History of Humanities and Sciences University of Amsterdam and De Gruyter Brill.