Title: Shifting Perspectives: Plural Worlds, Contested Sciences
Location: University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Dates: 13–16 July 2026

Organized by:
The History of Science Society (HSS)
The European Society for the History of Science (ESHS)
With support from
The British Society for the History of Science (BSHS)

 

Deadline for submitting proposals:   Friday 1 December 2025, 11:59 pm PST (Abstract Submission Site to come)

 

Link to the full Call For Proposals is available here

 

For questions, contact the Program Co-Chairs at: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

 

The History of Science Society and the European Society for the History of Science are delighted to announce their first joint meeting will be held from 13–16 July 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the support of the British Society for the History of Science. Against the backdrop of a city steeped in Enlightenment legacy, scientific innovation, and their reestimation, this global gathering of our three communities will foster transnational collaboration and dialogue among historians of science, technology, and medicine. Edinburgh is a spectacular city, rich in history, culture and humanistic enquiry: join us, to reflect on the past while shaping the future of our discipline. 

We welcome submissions on any topic in the history of science, technology, and medicine that engage diverse geographical, thematic, and methodological perspectives. We are particularly keen to receive submissions that engage with our theme “Shifting Perspectives: Plural Worlds, Contested Sciences,” which encourages reflection on how shifting perspectives on histories of the sciences might better account for marginal voices, contested truths, and epistemic disobedience. By emphasizing plurality—in forms of knowledge, in worldviews, and in disciplinary approaches—we aim to encourage a scholarly practice that resists reductive narratives of linear progress and singular authority. This thematic focus is particularly resonant for our host city, Edinburgh, whose clear contributions to Enlightenment thought and science are entangled with imperial legacies. In this spirit, the conference seeks conversations that are historically grounded yet critically attuned to the present, encouraging proposals that not only explore the multiplicity of scientific worlds—across different times, places, epistemologies, and communities—but that also reflect on what it means to write histories of the sciences in plural.

We look forward to your submissions! Please review the following guidelines for details on proposal types and submission requirements.