March for Science. Source: ©Becker1999/ CC-by-sa 2.0.
Dept. II
Knowledge Systems and Collective Life
Researchers in the Department on Knowledge Systems and Collective Life use archival and ethnographic methods to study the relationship between how we know and how we live together. We seek to foreground neglected histories, trace cross-cultural connections, question the boundaries of the political, challenge conventional definitions of science and technology, critically reflect on our own political and ethical commitments, engage with diverse publics, and experiment with new methods and media.
The research of the Department centers on three themes: Environmental Knowledge in Times of Crisis, Politics and Practices of Data, and From Trust in Science to Knowledge in Relation. These themes inform the projects of individual researchers, as well as the collective projects of the Department's working groups.
The Department is also home to the Laboratory for Multimodal History, which supports researchers using oral history and audiovisual media. Open positions and fellowships in the Department are advertised on the Institute-wide Career page.
