Andrei Vinogradov (München): Theories, experts, associations: comprehending and fighting industrial pollution in late imperial and early Soviet Russia

 6.7.2024, 2:15 PM – 3:45 CET, online: Andrei Vinogradov (München) 

Theories, experts, associations: comprehending and fighting industrial pollution in late imperial and early Soviet Russia 

Oberseminar der Professur für Geschichte Russlands und Ostmitteleuropas in der Vormoderne 

zoom: https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/j/65971445334?pwd=S29Va05QaTV2SWZHK3EzM2NyNFdDdz09

Meeting-ID: 659 7144 5334 

Kenncode: 899101 

Abstract 

Industrial pollution has played a dual role in human history. On the one hand, it was part of a material reality that pitted different social groups against each other, spurred the development of scientific knowledge, and created new legal norms and institutions. On the other hand, pollution was largely a construct: the levels of substances in the environment that were considered intolerable and labelled 'pollution' were not stable in time or space. In my talk I will show how industrial pollution was conceptualised in late imperial and early Soviet Russia. What was the role of Russian science in transforming pollution from an unpredictable, incomprehensible phenomenon into a measurable and manageable one? How important was the transfer of scientific knowledge from leading European universities to Russia? By focusing on the biographies of scientists and the fate of scientific associations, I aim to analyse the development of scientific knowledge in the broader context of the development of social institutions and their interaction with state power.