[ATHENA] ESHC Barcelone 4-7 sept 2024 deux appels à communication

[dymfau2 <dymfau2 AT orange.fr>]

            Deux appels à communications pour deux sessions à la Conférence de l'ESHS, Barcelone, 4-7 septembre 2024.

            A reminder for a call for papers for a symposium at the 11th ESHS Conference, Barcelona 4-7 September 2024.

1. Knowing, Protecting, and Saving the Earth: Exploring Materials, Earth History, and a Sustainable Future

From Christopher Halm, Marcin Krasnodębski, Brigitte Van Tiggelen

The chemical, molecular, and material sciences are grounded in practical learning and experimentation. Throughout history, humans have interacted with and modified the physical and organic world, gaining a profound understanding of matter and life over various time scales. Knowledge has empowered us to exert significant influence over our environment. However, this power entails great responsibility and has given rise to ecological sensibility. In the field of chemistry, for example, the emergence of Green Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Sustainable Chemistry are prominent examples of how ecological awareness has permeated policies, industries, and research. Further scientific spin-off disciplines have developed while our awareness of anthropogenic impact has either increased or been challenged.

Our session aims to investigate the connection between knowledge and environmental preservation in engineering, life, earth, and material sciences, often employing chemical and molecular methodologies. We invite scholars to submit papers that examine examples of implicit and explicit interactions between scientific research and sustainable thought in the last 400-plus years. This spans a wide array of branches and subfields within industry and science: geology, petrology, hydrogeology, palaeontology, archaeology, climatology, soil science, mining, botany, forestry, and other subfields interconnected with environmental research.

Please submit a title and an abstract, limited to a maximum of 250 words, to Christopher Halm ( christopher.halm AT ur.de ) and Marcin Krasnodębski ( marcin.krasnodebski1 AT gmail.com ), along with a brief biographical description (50-150 words), by 19 December 2023. We especially encourage submissions from graduate students, early-career scholars, and contingent faculty. Limited funding will be available to assist with conference participation costs for early-career and independent scholars.

The symposium is organized by Christopher Halm, Marcin Krasnodębski, and Brigitte Van Tiggelen and is sponsored by the Commission on the History of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (CHCMS) and the Working Party on the History of Chemistry of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS).

2. Illustrating the Anthropocene with Toxic Histories

from Sofiya Kamalova PhD researcher (funded by CIACIF2023) at the Lopez Pinero Inter-University Institute (University of Valencia).

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the panel “Illustrating the Anthropocene with Toxic Histories” at the 11th European Society for the History of Science Conference (Barcelona, Sept 4-7, 2024). This conference provides a unique platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, bringing together scholars from different branches of the history of science, including but not limited to environmental, sociological, and anthropological approaches. By fostering collaboration among experts with varied disciplinary backgrounds, we aim to enrich our understanding of the intertwined nature of toxic histories and the Anthropocene. Participants are encouraged to explore innovative methodologies, share case studies, and propose theoretical frameworks that contribute to a holistic comprehension of the historical and contemporary dimensions of toxic legacies. Join us in this intellectual exploration as we collectively strive to illuminate the intricate web connecting human actions, toxic materials, and the ongoing transformation of our planet.

Histories of toxic materials serve as crucial threads in the tapestry of the Anthropocene (in its broad interpretation beyond geology term), offering profound insights into the ways in which human activities have left enduring imprints on the planet. From industrial pollutants to chemical waste, these histories not only chronicle environmental degradation but also unravel complex socio-political narratives. Following the works of Emmanuel Henry, Jose Ramo n Bertomeu Sa nchez, Scott Frickel, Max Liboirion or Soraya Boudia scholars are invited to explore the historical dimensions of toxic materials, examining how their production, use, and disposal have shaped societies and ecosystems. We encourage papers that engage with diverse perspectives, showing how chemicals shape and contribute to the Anthropocene in different spaces, from pesticides in agriculture to environmental pollution, occupational health, or industrial hazards.

Histories of toxic materials serve as crucial threads in the tapestry of the Anthropocene, offering
profound insights into the ways in which human activities have left enduring imprints on the
planet. From industrial pollutants to chemical waste, these his tories not only chronicle
environmental degradation but also unravel complex sociopolitical narratives. Inspired by recent
studies in the field, we invite scholars to explore concept concepts such as residuals, slow violence, environmental justice and agnotology a s a framework for understanding the socio-material
properties of chemicals and their world-making powers. This innovative approach encourages a
holistic examination of chemicals, their singular and ubiquitous presence, and their regulated yet
unruly characteristics.

Please send paper proposals (title, abstract/200 words, name, and short bio) before 17th of December 2023 to sofiya.kamalova AT uv.es. I will submit the proposal for the panel to the organizers of the conference. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to deepen our comprehension of the socio-material dimensions of ignorance, exploring how it intertwines with the synthesis of toxic materials, regulatory practices, and the ongoing transformation of our planet. I look forward to collaborating with all participants in this intellectual exploration.

Bibliography

Boudia, S., Creager, A. N. H., Frickel, S., Henry, E., Jas, N., Reinhardt, C., & Roberts, J. A. (2021). Residues: Thinking Through Chemical Environments. Rutgers University Press.
Bertomeu Sánchez, J. R. (2021). Tóxicos: Pasado y Presente. Pensar históricamente un mundo
Bertomeu Sa nchez, J. R. (2021). Toxicos: Pasado y Presente. Pensar histo ricamente un mundo tóxico. to xico. Icaria Editorial.
Boullier, H., & Henry, E. (2022). Toxic Ignorance. How Regulatory Procedures and Industrial Knowledge Jeopardise the Risk Assessment of Chemicals. Science as Culture, 31, 1–24.
Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism. Duke Univ. Press.