The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) offers a diverse program of public events, including colloquia, seminars, and workshops. Our Institute’s Colloquium is open and free to attend. Our other events often require registration or invitation—please check each individual event for details.
January 2021
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Seminar
Global Matters: Intersections between Histories of Science, Technology, and Environment
Contact and Registration
Advertisements for each event, including the introductory text, will be circulated in advance. For further information, please contact Wilko Graf von Hardenberg.
Organized in cooperation with the research project “A Global History of Technology (GLOBAL-HoT)” at TU Darmstadt.
- 11:00 to 12:30
- Reading Group
Troubling Epistemics and Postcolonialism
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
Everyone is welcome to join. For registration or any questions about the seminar please contact Marianna Szczygielska.
About This Series
“Troubling Epistemics and Postcolonialism” is a monthly reading seminar interrogating "postcolonial" as an analytic concept in the history of science. The goal is to understand the ethics and mechanisms of our own epistemic practices as they relate to politics and power. We aim to examine the ways that epistemology is both historically contingent and actively produced within the history of science with the goal of troubling our disciplinary positions. For each meeting we list and circulate
- a short ‘provocative text’ to carry the empirical element and to provoke us to go wider in attempting to attend to something that troubles. Everyone is expected to read that text
- two or three "theoretical" or descriptive papers that we feel might be useful in "attending to the trouble." These are optional readings. The idea is that everyone who attends the discussion will have read at least the short provocation paper and bring some "troubles" to the meeting
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Reading Group
Terms, Notions, and Imagery in Chinese Theories of Signification
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
Please note that this event series will take place on Zoom and thus pre-registration is required. All reading materials will be circulated one week in advance. For more information and registering please contact Maria Avxentevskaya.
About This Series
The series of reading sessions "The Premodern History of Signification: Putting Experiences into Words, Images, and Signs" explores how the premodern experiences of the natural world were expressed, recorded, and communicated through verbal, visual, and semiotic means. By analyzing the premodern theorizing and practices concerning signification we aim to clarify how diverse views on it as an intellectual, cognitive, and performative process affected the production of knowledge in the premodern world. The group will meet online in November 2020 to February 2021 and discuss the primary sources suggested and introduced at each session by the group participants specializing in historical areas from classical to premodern traditions up to the eighteenth century on a global scale.
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Discussion Group
Measuring the Earth Discussion Group
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
In case you have questions about the discussion group, a specific session or registration, please feel free to contact Wilko Hardenberg.
February 2021
- 12:30 to 14:00
- Digital Humanities Workshop
Project Management Tools
Contact and Registration
Please email Research IT Group for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend, regardless of prior experience of the digital humanities. Registration is required for external participants. To register, and for further information on the Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch series email Research IT Group.
About This Series
Brown Bag Lunch is a meeting of researchers at the MPIWG who use or want to learn more about digital research methods, broadly encompassed by the term Digital Humanities. In the Brown Bag Lunch meetings, researchers can discuss tools, share ideas and experiences (good and bad), and learn from each other. Each session explores a new topic; workshops are usually interactive, and we often invite external speakers. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and a laptop or notebook in order to participate!
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Reading Group
Signification in Artificial Languages in Early Modern European Thought
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
Please note that this event series will take place on Zoom and thus pre-registration is required. All reading materials will be circulated one week in advance. For more information and registering please contact Maria Avxentevskaya.
About This Series
The series of reading sessions "The Premodern History of Signification: Putting Experiences into Words, Images, and Signs" explores how the premodern experiences of the natural world were expressed, recorded, and communicated through verbal, visual, and semiotic means. By analyzing the premodern theorizing and practices concerning signification we aim to clarify how diverse views on it as an intellectual, cognitive, and performative process affected the production of knowledge in the premodern world. The group will meet online in November 2020 to February 2021 and discuss the primary sources suggested and introduced at each session by the group participants specializing in historical areas from classical to premodern traditions up to the eighteenth century on a global scale.
- 16:00 to 17:30
- Primary Source Discussion Group
Ability and Authority
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
The meetings will take place on Zoom. Listeners are welcome. Please register by emailing Qiao Yang.
About This Series
The "Ability and Authority" primary source discussion group aims to address the major research questions of the working group through the introduction of its members' key primary sources. The four meetings of the series are organized according to themes, each led by several working group members. Reading material and leading questions of each session will be circulated in advance. In the meeting itself we will devote most of the time to discuss the key questions.
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Digital Humanities Workshop
Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch
Contact and Registration
Please email Research IT Group for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend, regardless of prior experience of the digital humanities. Registration is required for external participants. To register, and for further information on the Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch series email Research IT Group.
About This Series
Brown Bag Lunch is a meeting of researchers at the MPIWG who use or want to learn more about digital research methods, broadly encompassed by the term Digital Humanities. In the Brown Bag Lunch meetings, researchers can discuss tools, share ideas and experiences (good and bad), and learn from each other. Each session explores a new topic; workshops are usually interactive, and we often invite external speakers. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and a laptop or notebook in order to participate!
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Seminar
Global Matters: Intersections between Histories of Science, Technology, and Environment
Contact and Registration
Advertisements for each event, including the introductory text, will be circulated in advance. For further information, please contact Wilko Graf von Hardenberg.
About This Series
Organized in cooperation with the research project “A Global History of Technology (GLOBAL-HoT)” at TU Darmstadt, this seminar's aim is to seed a discussion bringing together diverse points of view about the ways in which global histories of science, technology, and environments can be produced.
Sessions are meant to be open-ended discussions. Therefore the virtual meeting space on Zoom will be open and available for half an hour beyond the given time to allow room for ongoing conversations to end according to their individual pace. Each participant is invited to bring their own expertise and suggestions for further readings. As a discussion starter the conveners will offer a set of questions framing the issue at stake and a brief text presenting recent developments in the literature. All additional readings are to be considered absolutely voluntary and the choice of which questions to actually discuss will fall collectively on all participants.
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Discussion Group
Measuring the Earth Discussion Group
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
In case you have questions about the discussion group, a specific session or registration, please feel free to contact Wilko Hardenberg.
March 2021
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Digital Humanities Workshop
Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch
Contact and Registration
Please email Research IT Group for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend, regardless of prior experience of the digital humanities. Registration is required for external participants. To register, and for further information on the Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch series email Research IT Group.
About This Series
Brown Bag Lunch is a meeting of researchers at the MPIWG who use or want to learn more about digital research methods, broadly encompassed by the term Digital Humanities. In the Brown Bag Lunch meetings, researchers can discuss tools, share ideas and experiences (good and bad), and learn from each other. Each session explores a new topic; workshops are usually interactive, and we often invite external speakers. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and a laptop or notebook in order to participate!
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Seminar
Global Matters: Intersections between Histories of Science, Technology, and Environment
Contact and Registration
Advertisements for each event, including the introductory text, will be circulated in advance. For further information, please contact Wilko Graf von Hardenberg.
About This Series
Organized in cooperation with the research project “A Global History of Technology (GLOBAL-HoT)” at TU Darmstadt, this seminar's aim is to seed a discussion bringing together diverse points of view about the ways in which global histories of science, technology, and environments can be produced.
Sessions are meant to be open-ended discussions. Therefore the virtual meeting space on Zoom will be open and available for half an hour beyond the given time to allow room for ongoing conversations to end according to their individual pace. Each participant is invited to bring their own expertise and suggestions for further readings. As a discussion starter the conveners will offer a set of questions framing the issue at stake and a brief text presenting recent developments in the literature. All additional readings are to be considered absolutely voluntary and the choice of which questions to actually discuss will fall collectively on all participants.
- 14:00 to 15:30
- Institute's Colloquium
Environments and Ecologies of Transmission
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
The Institute’s Colloquium occurs once per month during the academic year. For further information about the series, please contact Lisa Onaga and/or Stephanie Hood.
This event will take place online: the meeting link will be sent to Institute members via MPIWG-Announce the day before the event.
A limited number of places are available to external participants—please email public@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de by March 15, 2021 to register.
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Discussion Group
Measuring the Earth Discussion Group
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
In case you have questions about the discussion group, a specific session or registration, please feel free to contact Wilko Hardenberg.
April 2021
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Digital Humanities Workshop
Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch
Contact and Registration
Please email Research IT Group for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend, regardless of prior experience of the digital humanities. Registration is required for external participants. To register, and for further information on the Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch series email Research IT Group.
About This Series
Brown Bag Lunch is a meeting of researchers at the MPIWG who use or want to learn more about digital research methods, broadly encompassed by the term Digital Humanities. In the Brown Bag Lunch meetings, researchers can discuss tools, share ideas and experiences (good and bad), and learn from each other. Each session explores a new topic; workshops are usually interactive, and we often invite external speakers. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and a laptop or notebook in order to participate!
- 14:00 to 15:30
- Institute's Colloquium
Pandemic Polities: Science Governance in Democratic and Authoritarian Regimes
- Several Speakers
- Anna Lisa Ahlers
- Lino Camprubi
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
The Institute’s Colloquium occurs once per month during the academic year. For further information about the series, please contact Lisa Onaga and/or Stephanie Hood.
This event will take place online: the meeting link will be sent to Institute members via MPIWG-Announce the day before the event.
A limited number of places are available to external participants—please email public@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de by the day before the event to register.
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Discussion Group
Measuring the Earth Discussion Group
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
In case you have questions about the discussion group, a specific session or registration, please feel free to contact Wilko Hardenberg.
May 2021
- 12:00 to 13:30
- Digital Humanities Workshop
Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch
Contact and Registration
Please email Research IT Group for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend, regardless of prior experience of the digital humanities. Registration is required for external participants. To register, and for further information on the Digital Humanities Brown Bag Lunch series email Research IT Group.
About This Series
Brown Bag Lunch is a meeting of researchers at the MPIWG who use or want to learn more about digital research methods, broadly encompassed by the term Digital Humanities. In the Brown Bag Lunch meetings, researchers can discuss tools, share ideas and experiences (good and bad), and learn from each other. Each session explores a new topic; workshops are usually interactive, and we often invite external speakers. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and a laptop or notebook in order to participate!
- 14:00 to 15:30
- Institute's Colloquium
Pulse Check: Public Communication and Trust in Science
- Several Speakers
- Scott Knowles (Drexel University)
- Laura Spinney (Journalist)
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
The Institute’s Colloquium occurs once per month during the academic year. For further information about the series, please contact Lisa Onaga and/or Stephanie Hood.
This event will take place online: the meeting link will be sent to Institute members via MPIWG-Announce the day before the event.
A limited number of places are available to external participants—please email public@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de by the day before the event to register.
- 14:00 to 15:00
- Discussion Group
Measuring the Earth Discussion Group
Organizer(s)Contact and Registration
In case you have questions about the discussion group, a specific session or registration, please feel free to contact Wilko Hardenberg.