9th DHST DISSERTATION PRIZE (2027)

 9th DHST DISSERTATION PRIZE (2027)  CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Division of History of Science and Technology of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (DHST/IUHPST) is happy to invite submissions to the 9th DHST Dissertation Prize, which recognizes outstanding doctoral work in the broad field of the history of science and technology.

Established by the DHST General Assembly held during the 22nd International Congress of History of Science in Beijing, 2005, the prize has been awarded every two years since 2013. Up to three prizes and an unspecified number of honorable mentions will be awarded to the authors of doctoral dissertations completed and filed between 16 April 2024 and 15 April 2026.

The competition does not specify categories, but to be considered, submissions must unequivocally relate to the history of science, technology, or medicine. The Prize Committee will employ its best endeavors to ensure the broadest coverage of subjects, geographical areas, time periods, and methodologies, and encourages applications from any country and in any language. To ensure that the Committee appoint expert reviewers, a summary of the dissertation in English in mandatory.

The prize consists of a certificate and an invitation to give a talk in a plenary session of the 28th International Congress of History of Science and Technology, to be held in Paris, in July 2029. Awardees are entitled to the waiver of the Congress registration fee and assistance with accommodation expenses. The winner of a prize whose dissertation engages substantially with Islamic science and culture may additionally be considered for the İhsanoğlu Prize funded by the Turkish Society of History of Science.

PRIZE COMMITTEE: The Committee includes DHST Council members and distinguished subject specialists.

CALENDAR: Exclusively electronic applications open 1 May and close 1 August 2026 (11:59 pm UTC). Announcement of prize winners will be made in early 2027.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply, the following PDF documents must be filed through this online form:

- The full dissertation (submissions in any language are welcome)

- A summary of the dissertation in English (maximum 25 double-spaced pages). There is no template for the summary, but it must contain the title of the dissertation, candidate’s name and current contact information, date of completion/filing of the dissertation, and the doctoral title-granting institution.

Additionally, a recommendation letter (at most 2 pages long) from the PhD supervisor or a PhD committee member assessing the dissertation and its historiographical significance must be sent within the same time frame by email to iuhpstdhst@gmail.com, care of the DHST Secretary-General, with the subject line in the format DHST Prize 2027 - Candidate'sLastName. The letter is confidential and must be sent directly by the signatory.

Call for Papers: Conflict and Cooperation in the History of Cartography during the 20th century

 Call for Papers: Conflict and Cooperation in the History of Cartography during the 20th century. Workshop at the Herder Institute in Marburg/Germany, September 24, 2026

During the 20th century there were many different forms and modes of conflict and cooperation in the fields of cartography and geography. Publishing houses competed with one another to sell their products but sought partners to open up new markets. Surveying agencies advanced the mapping of nation-states and at the same time reached out to colonies, frontiers or “unknown” territories for surveying projects as part of imperial expansion. International conferences and exhibitions acted as turntables and showrooms for ideas and maps, and as arenas for experts to discuss major themes in cartography and geography.

Historians have employed a variety of methods to examine these issues. This is not only a field for the history of cartography but an intersection of many different approaches, such as the history of knowledge, the history of technology and the history of international organisation. In recent years there have been discussions about how to decolonise surveying and mapping, how to integrate the perspectives of non‑Western actors and organisations, how to attend to diverse developments, and how to critique long-established terms (such as “progress” or “accuracy”) as well as the categories and classifications used in 20th-century maps.

The workshop on September24, 2026 in Marburg aims to advance these discussions. We invite scholars to contribute presentations related to at least one of the following topics:

Dimensions of rivalry and cooperation between East and West, and North and South, in the fields of cartography and geography;

Surveying, mapping, map‑publishing and related projects that shed light on the challenges of cross‑border cooperation;

The role of experts, mapping agencies and publishing houses in debates about techniques, procedures, standards and classifications in cartography and geography;

Institutions of cooperation — such as congresses, organisations and committees — that reflect tensions between different regions of the world. 

Please send an abstract (max. 2000 characters) and a short biographical note (max. 500 characters) no later than May 5, 2026 to christian.lotz@herder-institut.de . The workshop will be held at the Herder Institute. The working language is English. 

The workshop is part of the project “The World Map 1:2,500,000 (Karta Mira) as a Vehicle of Socialist Globalization: Potentials and Limits of Scientific Standardization and International Cooperation, 1958–1989”. The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, No. 550 144 086). Thanks to the DFG, we are able to reimburse costs for travel and accommodation.

If you have questions about the workshop or about the Karta Mira project at the Herder Institute, please contact: christian.lotz@herder-institut.de

[Image: Comparability as a goal. Access to the Baltic Sea and access to the Red Sea. Karta Mira / World Map 1:2,500,000, excerpts, sheet 36 (Moscow 1972) and 95 (Sofia 1969). Call number: K 1 II L 210, Kartensammlung Herder-Institut]

Call for Papers - Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History

 Call for Papers - Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History

The scientific conference "Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History" will be held at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk from November 18–20, 2026. Researchers from the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, (bio)ethics, medicine, law, and political science are invited to submit proposals for presentation topics. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2026.

In 2024, the Polish Parliament declared 22 September as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Extermination of People with Mental Disorders in Occupied Poland during World War II. On that day in 1939, the first residents of the former psychiatric hospital in Kocborowo near Starogard Gdański were murdered. It was one of a number of centres where, during the German occupation, sick and disabled people were killed, thus fulfilling one of the goals of Nazi Germany's eugenics policy.

The history of modern biological engineering and social control is inextricably linked to the rise of eugenics. This movement stemmed from the seemingly noble aim of “bettering” the human race through selective breeding—a facet of the unprecedented scientific progress of the 19th century. Soon, enthusiasts began advocating for the mobilization of the modern state’s bureaucratic apparatus to turn these theories into practice.

In time, various countries introduced eugenic measures. The tragic pinnacle of this trend was reached in Nazi Germany with Aktion T4—a systematic program of mass murder through involuntary euthanasia, which claimed approximately 300,000 lives. This crime served as a technological and ideological precursor to the Holocaust.

However, eugenics was not a localized phenomenon, nor did it end with the defeat of Nazism in 1945; it was a global movement that permeated medical, legal, and social structures across continents. Many countries maintained eugenic regulations well into the final decades of the 20th century and beyond. This conference aims to examine the multifaceted nature of eugenic thought, from its intellectual origins to its practical, often violent, criminal and tragic applications.

Themes and Topics

We invite scholars from the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, (bio)ethics, medicine, law and political science to submit proposals. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Sources of Eugenic Thought: On the origins of the “improvement” of the human race.

Intellectual Genealogies: The influence of Social Darwinism and the “science” of heredity.

The T4 Program and Beyond: Analysis of “euthanasia” programs, their victims, and medical ethics in the German Reich (1933–1945).

Global Perspectives: Eugenic legislation and sterilization practices worldwide.

Institutional Eugenics: The role of psychiatric hospitals, laboratories, and welfare systems in promoting “racial hygiene.”

Gender and Eugenics: Control of female reproduction and the concept of “fit” motherhood.

Modern Echoes: The legacy of eugenic thinking in contemporary genetics and bioethics.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit your completed applications forms to: conference2026@muzeum1939.pl . Forms can be retrieved from https://muzeum1939.pl/en/news/playing-god-eugenics-in-modern-history-call-for-papers 

Submission Deadline: 1st June 2026

Notification of Acceptance: 19th June 2026

Organizational Information

The organizers will select the submissions and notify all applicants by 19th June 2026.

Successful applicants will be provided with accommodation covered by the Museum.

Please note that the organizers do not cover travel costs.

Conference proceedings may be recorded.

Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, Piotr Paluchowski: Różne oblicza medycyny (zarazy, melancholia, okulistyka i lekarze) [The different faces of medicine (epidemics, melancholy, ophthalmology, and doctors)].

 Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, Piotr Paluchowski: Różne oblicza medycyny (zarazy, melancholia, okulistyka i lekarze) [The different faces of medicine (epidemics, melancholy, ophthalmology, and doctors)]. Wydawnictwo UMK 2025. ISBN:978-83-231-6172-1 (Polish, German, English)

Wstęp / 11

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Mikołaj Kopernik jako lekarz / 15

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Nicolaus Copernicus als Medicus / 29

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Dżuma w Norwegii w latach 1349–1350 i jej demograficzne oraz społeczno-gospodarcze konsekwencje / 47

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Jednostka i państwo w konfrontacji z epidemią dżumy w Królewcu i na Mazurach w latach 1709–1711 / 73

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Individuum und Staat im Angesicht der Pestepidemie in Königsberg und Masuren 1709–1711 / 85

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nataniel Mateusz Wolf (vel Wolff) (1724–1784), lekarz, pionier wariolizacji, pierwotnej formy szczepienia przeciw ospie prawdziwej (czarnej) w Prusach Królewskich / 101

PIOTR PALUCHOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nathanael Mathaeus von Wolf and Johanna Henrietta Trosiener (Schopenhauer). Variolation in the 18th century on the Polish lands according to the guidelines of a doctor and the memoirs of his patient / 127

 

PIOTR PALUCHOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nathanael Mathaeus von Wolf i Johanna Henrietta Trosiener (Schopenhauer). Dokonywanie wariolizacji w XVIII w. według wytycznych lekarza we wspomnieniach jego pacjentki / 149 

MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Epidemia cholery azjatyckiej w Prusach Wschodnich w XIX w. / 167

FRYDERYK HERMANN ARENDT

O epidemii cholery w Kłajpedzie w roku 1831, opracowanie i wstęp Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, przekład z języka łacińskiego Tomasz Babnis / 227 

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Melancholia księcia pruskiego Albrechta Fryderyka (1553–1618) / 275

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Przyczynek do historii chirurgii okulistycznej w Polsce w XVI w. (Toruńska operacja zaćmy Bartłomieja Płuczki w 1589 r.) / 321

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Bartel Płuczka als Katarakt-operateur in Thorn 1589 / 337

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Nowe przyczynki do historii okularów w Polsce w XVI w. Gdańskie okulary księcia pruskiego Albrechta / 355

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Neue Beiträge zur Geschichte der Brille in Polen. Die Danziger Brille des Herzog Albrechts von Preussen / 371

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

O książce „Zasłużeni lekarze toruńscy we wspomnieniach. Wybrane sylwetki z XIX i XX wieku” / 387

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Wspomnienie o Leszku Bieganowskim / 393

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Adam Tybor (1910–1986), lekarz laryngolog. Z galicyjskich Ołpin w lekarski świat / 397

Nota bibliograficzna / 415

Wykaz ilustracji / 419

Indeks osobowy / 423

Alexander Herzen: Past and Thoughts. An Annotated Critical Edition

 Alexander Herzen: Past and Thoughts. An Annotated Critical Edition. Translated by Kathleen F. Parthé, Edited and translated by Robert N. Harris. Harvard University Press 2025.

An annotated translation of Alexander Herzen’s monumental memoir Past and Thoughts—the first new English-language edition in a century—captures the tumultuous life and penetrating cultural and political insights of the writer widely regarded as the founder of Russian socialism.

Isaiah Berlin called Alexander Herzen’s magnum opus, Past and Thoughts, “a literary masterpiece worthy to be placed by the side of the novels of . . . Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoevsky.” It was the most influential memoir published in nineteenth-century Russia, and its impact extended far beyond the tsarist era and the empire’s borders, inspiring generations of thinkers, leaders, and dissidents struggling against authoritarian regimes. The first English-language translation in a century, thoroughly annotated with a new introduction, this volume shows why Past and Thoughts is considered a great classic.

Against a dramatic backdrop of war, revolution, and exile, Herzen tells a stirring story of political agitation, marital scandal, betrayal, and despair. Past and Thoughts begins with Napoleon’s invasion of Moscow during Herzen’s infancy, then follows the author’s central role in Russia’s emerging intelligentsia, his imprisonment and exile in the frozen north, his adventures across a mid-century Europe undergoing the turbulence of revolution and unification, and his founding of the first uncensored Russian-language press. We see the Paris revolts of 1848 and the flamboyant swashbucklers of Italy’s Risorgimento through Herzen’s sharp eyes, alongside his bold journalism, which reached both the tsar’s prisoners and the Winter Palace.

This edition restores a key section on the tragic denouement of Herzen’s marriage—omitted from previous abridged versions—and includes notes offering critical insight into Herzen’s historical sketches, travelogues, satire, poetry, philosophical excursions, and polemics. Tolstoy remarked that “Herzen awaits his readers in the future.” A piercing investigation of the human spirit and its enemies, Past and Thoughts is indeed a work for our time.

Reviews

„Past and Thoughts is perhaps the greatest autobiography in Russian literature, a classic worth placing in company with Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. This new translation captures, as never before, Herzen’s anecdotal brilliance, wit, and inimitable essayistic style, with its layers of irony on irony.“ – Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University

„This magnificent exercise in self-writing founded the art of political witnessing for nineteenth-century Russia. At last, Herzen’s acclaimed mega-text receives the critical English edition it deserves, expertly pruning out and eloquently filling in this world for today’s readers.“ – Caryl Emerson, Princeton University

About the Authors

Robert N. Harris specializes in nineteenth-century Russian intellectual history at the University of Oxford. He has lectured at numerous universities, including Barcelona, Cambridge, and LMU Munich.

Kathleen F. Parthé is Professor Emeritus of Russian at the University of Rochester. She is the author of A Herzen Reader, Russian Village Prose, and, with James H. Billington, The Search for a New Russian National Identity.

CfP The Far Right, Universities, and Counter-Institutional Knowledge Places

 CfP The Far Right, Universities, and Counter-Institutional Knowledge Places, University of Cologne, 10.03.2027 - 12.03.2027, Deadline 01.05.2026

The conference aims, first, to strengthen attention to (higher) learning and education within the growing body of research on the far right in contemporary history. Second, it takes up debates within the field of education about the central importance of issues of learning and education for far-right movements and deepens them through a historical perspective, particularly regarding forms and venues of adult learning. Third, the conference ties in with current debates about the stance of universities towards populist and right-wing influence.

We welcome paper proposals from all regions covering the period from the late 1960s to the present. Contributions may focus on, but are not restricted to, the following areas:

Academia under pressure: the far right’s view of higher education.

To what extent did right-wing groups and individuals regard universities as their sphere of activity? How did students, researchers, and professors campaign for right-wing goals? How were universities used as symbolic or material resources? What forms of criticism of academia and higher education emerged, and which underlying motives (such as ‘neutrality’, ‘freedom’, ‘achievement’, ‘left-wing hegemony’, ‘pedagogisation’, etc.) shaped them?

Think tanks, centres and counter-universities: self-organised knowledge places of the far right.

What learning spaces and organisations did protagonists from the intellectual right establish, and what were their main areas of focus? Which formats (e.g. conferences, summer schools, camps, self-study courses) were used, and how did they shape networks and intellectual positions? What intellectual and social significance did these “self-organised” knowledge places have?

Certified, with state recognition? Self-founded right-wing institutions and right-wing influences on established colleges and universities.

When and how have right-wing actors attempted to copy or take over established academic institutions? To what extent have they sought state funding or official recognition for their educational projects and examinations? What role do commercial right-wing institutions play that rhetorically claim university status and make broad educational promises?

Consequences and reactions in higher education and politics.

Who raised the issue of right-wing activities in the higher education context, both internally and publicly? What institutional responses and strategies can be identified? What consequences were discussed in politics regarding the regulation of right-wing ‘educational’ activities, for instance concerning charitable status of organisations, the prohibition of institutions, or financial support (e.g. from foundations)?

History of ‘science’ and ‘education’ in quotation marks?

Finally, the conference invites discussion on academic approaches to the study of right-wing learning and teaching. What are the strengths and challenges of historical analysis in this field? Which periodisations seem most appropriate? Which sources can be used, and what practical problems arise in their collection and analysis?

If you are interested in participating, please send an abstract (max. 300 words) to susanne.schregel@uni-koeln.de by May 1, 2026. There is no conference fee. We will try to obtain funding for travel and accommodation for all who do not have institutional funding.

[Image: Students block the lecture of controversial far-right historian, Lothar Höbelt, at the Vienna University. https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/17/anti-fascists-protest-far-right-manifestations-in-austrian-universities/]

Mikuláš Pešta: Student Internationalism and the Global Cold War. The International Union of Students in Socialist Prague. London: Bloomsbury 2026

 Mikuláš Pešta: Student Internationalism and the Global Cold War. The International Union of Students in Socialist Prague. London: Bloomsbury 2026. ISBN 9781350425545

OA: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/student-internationalism-and-the-global-cold-war-9781350425545/#

Description

This open access book tells the history of the International Union of Students, providing a fascinating account of a significant but understudied vehicle of internationalism amidst the Global Cold War. Focusing on three main themes; student internationalism, decolonization, and socialist transnationalism, it draws on a vast array of archival sources to explore cooperation and exchange between the Cold war's three worlds, and the role of the organization in developing global socialism.

Centring Prague as a key co-ordinating centre of Cold War internationalisms and with an international focus on student organisations, Pešta contextualises the legacy and impact of student internationalism in the twentieth century. Paying particular attention to the role of 'Third World' delegates who communicated and legitimised topics such as colonialism, racism, global inequality and national liberation, it shows how the language and agenda of the IUS changed over time, and how the organization struggled to find its place after the end of the Cold War in 1989.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Prehistory

2. From Universalism to the Cold War

3. The 'Golden Age'

4. Representing the Students of the World

5. Crises and Reforms

6. Post-Mortem and Resurrections

Conclusions