Upcoming Events (15)
Methods Intensive Master Class with Temi Odumosu: Do Images Still Matter? Visual Anxieties in the Time of AI
Temi Odumosu leads a methods-intensive master class at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, exploring whether images still matter in the AI era. The session probes visual anxieties and methodological approaches to image analysis, appealing to scholars of visual culture and technology.
Governing the Paradox of Knowledge: Open Science in EU–China Cooperation
Colloquium examining how governance of knowledge and research security shapes open science in EU–China cooperation. Speakers Annina Lattu and Cristina Pinna discuss tensions between openness and security in transnational research at MPIWG Berlin (Room 219) with online access.
Enchanted Basin: Medicine and Magic in Mamluk Cairo
An academic reading-group lecture at MPIWG Berlin on how medicine and magic intersected in Mamluk Cairo, led by Anthony Quickel. The session blends medieval sources and cultural history, offering a concise, seminar-style look at science amid belief.
On the Criminalization of Femicide in a Comparative Legal Perspective
Hybrid colloquium at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science examines how femicide is criminalized across different legal systems, featuring multiple speakers offering comparative insights. The event, held in Berlin with an online option, gathers scholars and policymakers to discuss legal frameworks and gender justice.
Persianate Pythagorean Computing and the Imperial Panopticon
Colloquium examining how Persianate scholars engaged Pythagorean computing concepts and early modern AI within the Safavid world. Matthew Melvin-Koushki presents in a hybrid format from the Max Planck Institute (Berlin) with Zoom access, exploring surveillance and knowledge at empire scale.
The "New Cold War" and the Securitization of China's Earth Science Research in the Arctic
An in-depth seminar exploring how China’s earth science research in the Arctic is framed within contemporary security discourse. Part of the Science Silk Road Seminar Series at the Max Planck Institute, the talk offers historiography, policy context, and geopolitical insights into Arctic science.
In and Out of Place
Two prominent historians of science, Craig Howe and Lukas Rieppel, explore how ideas, artifacts, and institutions move across spaces in this Berlin lecture at the Max Planck Institute. In and Out of Place examines the relocation of knowledge and the politics of scientific memory with sharp historical insight.
Precognition, Time Travel, and the History of Religions: Some Impossible Thoughts
Jeffrey Kripal delivers an Institute's Colloquium at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, examining how ideas of precognition and time travel intersect with the history of religions. The talk, hosted in a scholarly Berlin venue, invites attendees to consider speculative connections between cognition, temporality, and religious history.
Movements and Categorizations: About Animals, Concepts and Belonging
An academic lecture at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science delivered by Raf de Bont, exploring how movements and categorizations shape our understanding of animals, concepts, and belonging. A rigorous, thought-provoking session in Berlin's research community.
Alchemy in Tamil Siddha Literature: Transdisciplinary Esoteric Aspects
This hybrid colloquium at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science surveys alchemy in Tamil Siddha literature, offering transdisciplinary and esoteric perspectives. Presented by Ilona Kędzia-Warych, the talk blends history, philosophy, and textual analysis in a Zoom-enabled session from Berlin.
Trouble: Kachin Amber, Palaeontology & Ethics
A timely colloquium examining Kachin amber and Chinese palaeontology, paired with a global debate on the ethics of scientific research. Delivered at the Max Planck Institute, it probes how new findings shape knowledge and the responsibilities of scientists.
Local Solutions to Ending Early Marriage and FGC in Somali Diaspora
Colloquium presenting local solutions to end child marriage and FGC in Somali diaspora communities. Antje Becker-Benton analyzes policy, community-led initiatives, and ethical dimensions, with in-person sessions in the Main Conference Room and online access.
Sonic Knowledge: Listening against the Grain to Gandhi in Bombay, 1931
A scholarly lecture at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, examining Gandhi’s Bombay years (1931) through sonic history. Delivered by Kama Maclean (University of Heidelberg), this colloquium ties political history to sound studies in a rigorous historical discussion.
Writing History beyond the Timeline: Traditions and Innovations
An academic colloquium at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Wayan Jarrah Sastrawan and Annca Pielenhofer explore how histories of science blend traditions with innovations, challenging linear timelines and offering fresh perspectives on methodological narratives.
Talk: Abortion Pills and Misoprostol in Brazil
On 2026-06-10 at 14:00 UTC, Ilana Löwy presents a hybrid colloquium at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science on abortion pills in general and misoprostol in Brazil. The Main Conference Room and online platform host a focused discussion blending medicine, history, and policy.