MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Jun 3-5, 2024
Thinking from the Substrate

 

Bringing together scholars from a broad range of geographical and disciplinary positions, “Thinking from the Substrate” is an invitation to think critically and expansively about the relatively thin layer between our atmosphere and the subterranean world and how it functions most fundamentally as a container for life. The substrate is a medium used for infinite things: a site of metabolic transformation, a place where toxins accumulate, a store of material for remaking the world. Looking to what travels through the substrate and also what comprises it—minerals, parasites, organic matter—offers a view into the past while also provoking questions about the promise and constraints on the future. The broad, open-ended question that anchors this workshop is: What can we learn about our current historical moment when we start from the ground up?

On day one of the workshop (June 3), we will approach this larger question from the insights of individual research and case studies. The second and third days (June 4–5) will offer both small and large group discussions with the goal of constructing a collective public syllabus for a class on the substrate. The point is not a bibliography, but to create a dynamic, engaging website for public use that can also be used for teaching.

Tentative Schedule

  • Monday, June 3, 2024

    9:30 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks

    10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.: Coffee and tea break

    10:30 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.: Panel 1: Soil’s Metabolisms

    12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch

    1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.: Panel 2: Residual Histories

    2:45 p.m.–4:15 p.m.: Panel 3: Substrates and Belonging

    4:15 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Coffee and tea break

    4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.: Wrap-up discussion

    5:30 p.m.: Optional lecture Prof Samuel Akande, Department of Geology, University of Ilorin: "The History of Coping with Environmental Challenges in the Exploration, Development, and Production of African Mineral Resources: Insights for Sustainability and the Way Forward" (see this event page; registration required)

  • Tuesday, June 4, 2024

    10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.: Full group discussion on syllabus structure

    11:00 a.m.–11:20 a.m.: Coffee and tea break

    11:20 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Full Group Discussion cont’d

    12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch

    1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.: Group Work, Natasha Russell, artist and illustrator in circulation between groups

    4:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m.: Coffee and tea break

    4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.: Larger group check-in and discussion

    Optional Evening Event at Spore: Details TBA

  • Wednesday, June 5, 2024

    10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.: Full group discussion on syllabus structure or small groups (TBD)

    11:00 a.m.–11:20 a.m.: Coffee and tea break

    11:20 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Group or Individual Work

    12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch

    1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.: Presentations

    2:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.: Coffee and tea break

    3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.: Closing remarks and future plans

    05:00 p.m.: Dinner plans TBA

Helen West Keller, Alabama Biochemist, 1947, National Museum of American History, GA.20060. Public Domain (CC0).

Helen West Keller, Alabama Biochemist, 1947, National Museum of American History, GA.20060. Public Domain (CC0).

Organizer(s)
Address
Harnack House, Conference Venue of the Max Planck Society, Ihnestraße 16-20, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Contact and Registration

This event is by invitation only.

Handout/poster
Thinking from the Substrate_handout
2024-06-03T09:30:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2024-06-03 09:30:00 2024-06-05 17:00:00 Thinking from the Substrate   Bringing together scholars from a broad range of geographical and disciplinary positions, “Thinking from the Substrate” is an invitation to think critically and expansively about the relatively thin layer between our atmosphere and the subterranean world and how it functions most fundamentally as a container for life. The substrate is a medium used for infinite things: a site of metabolic transformation, a place where toxins accumulate, a store of material for remaking the world. Looking to what travels through the substrate and also what comprises it—minerals, parasites, organic matter—offers a view into the past while also provoking questions about the promise and constraints on the future. The broad, open-ended question that anchors this workshop is: What can we learn about our current historical moment when we start from the ground up? On day one of the workshop (June 3), we will approach this larger question from the insights of individual research and case studies. The second and third days (June 4–5) will offer both small and large group discussions with the goal of constructing a collective public syllabus for a class on the substrate. The point is not a bibliography, but to create a dynamic, engaging website for public use that can also be used for teaching. Tentative Schedule Monday, June 3, 2024 9:30 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.: Coffee and tea break 10:30 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.: Panel 1: Soil’s Metabolisms 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.: Panel 2: Residual Histories 2:45 p.m.–4:15 p.m.: Panel 3: Substrates and Belonging 4:15 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Coffee and tea break 4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.: Wrap-up discussion 5:30 p.m.: Optional lecture Prof Samuel Akande, Department of Geology, University of Ilorin: "The History of Coping with Environmental Challenges in the Exploration, Development, and Production of African Mineral Resources: Insights for Sustainability and the Way Forward" (see this event page; registration required) Tuesday, June 4, 2024 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.: Full group discussion on syllabus structure 11:00 a.m.–11:20 a.m.: Coffee and tea break 11:20 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Full Group Discussion cont’d 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.: Group Work, Natasha Russell, artist and illustrator in circulation between groups 4:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m.: Coffee and tea break 4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.: Larger group check-in and discussion Optional Evening Event at Spore: Details TBA Wednesday, June 5, 2024 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.: Full group discussion on syllabus structure or small groups (TBD) 11:00 a.m.–11:20 a.m.: Coffee and tea break 11:20 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Group or Individual Work 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.: Presentations 2:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.: Coffee and tea break 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.: Closing remarks and future plans 05:00 p.m.: Dinner plans TBA Helen West Keller, Alabama Biochemist, 1947, National Museum of American History, GA.20060. Public Domain (CC0). Harnack House, Conference Venue of the Max Planck Society, Ihnestraße 16-20, 14195 Berlin, Germany Emily BrownellTilman Musch Emily BrownellTilman Musch Europe/Berlin public