Reshaping the Dialogue: Histories of Science, Technology and Medicine and the Contemporary World
A Sub-forum of Beijing Forum
Peking University, November 3rd-5th, 2023
Hosted and Sponsored by Department of History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Peking University
Although our world is recuperating from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is facing various political and economic uncertainties. This is a pivotal moment: although, in the past few years, science and medicine have played a vital role in facing risks and difficulties for human beings and the planet’s ecology, at the same time, due to the complexity of the political situation, the intellectual authority of science and medicine is also facing constant challenges. The epidemic further widened the previously existing rifts in the world and gradually formed the reality of the contemporary world: the disparity in medical resources caused by disparities in regions and classes, the divide between the elites and the general public about science and medicine, and the political conservatism that threatens international scientific collaboration. The lessons we learn from the pandemic era will help us to handle future risks and lay a more collaborative groundwork for them. This panel invites researchers from the history of science and technology and medical history from all over the world to discuss these issues with scientists and doctors: how to understand contemporary science and technology and medicine and their position in history, especially the history of the last few years? Can the history of science, technology and medicine help to reshape the dialogue and bridge the gaps between nations, between scientific elites and the masses, and between science, medicine and the humanities?
Programme
Time: November 3rd, 2023
Venue: Room No.2, Overseas Exchange Center，Peking University
Session 1
14:30-15:50 Panel Moderator:
- ZHANG Li
Professor, Peking University, China
Panelists:
14:30-15:00 - HAN Qide
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, China
Opening Address
15:00-15:20 - TSUKAHARA, Togo
Professor, Kobe University, Japan
Climate Changes in History: Review and Prospect
15:20-15:40 - GUO Liping
Professor, Peking University, China
An Overview of Narrative Medicine in China
15:40-15:50 Discussion
15:50-16:10 Coffee Break, and Group Photo
Session 2
16:10-17:30 Panel Moderator:
- SUZUKI, Akihito
Professor, Tokyo University, Japan
Panelists:
16:10-16:30 - JAMI, Catherine
Professor，French National Centre for Scientific Research, France
Translating Sources: Nourishing the Conversation Among
Historians of Science, Technology, and Medicine
16:30-16:50 - AMELUNG, Iwo
Professor, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Historiography of Chinese Science and Technology as an International Endeavor
16:50-17:10 - TURCHETTI, Simone
Professor, University of Manchester, U.K.
Find the Gap! Histories of Science, Technology and Medicine as a Means to
Identify and Address Global Inequalities
17:10-17:30 Discussion
18:00 Welcome Banquet (Guanhu AD Hall, 2nd floor, Building No.1, Zhongguanyuan Global Village, PKU)
Time: November 4th, 2023
Venue: Room No.2, Overseas Exchange Center，Peking University
Session 1
09:00-10:30 Panel Moderator:
- SHI Yunli
Professor, University of Science and Technology of China, China
Panelists:
09:00-09:20 - WU Guosheng
Professor, Tsinghua University, China
Review and Prospect of the Discipline of History of Science and Technology
in China
09:20-09:40 - QIAN Wei
Professor, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China
The Contemporary Value of the History of Technological Innovation
09:40-10:00 - WANG Zuoyue
Professor, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, U.S.
Chinese American Biomedical Scientists: A Historical Study of Their
Experiences and Contributions from the Cold War to COVID-19
10:00-10:20 - ZHOU Cheng
Professor, Peking University, China
What Is a Virus? A Historical Review of the Discovery of Tobacco Mosaic Virus
10:20-10:30 Discussion
10:30-10:50 Coffee Break
Session 2
10:50-12:00 Panel Moderator:
- YU Xinzhong
Professor, Nankai University, China
Panelists:
10:50-11:10 - ZHANG Daqing
Professor, Peking University, China
Contemporary Significance of Education in the History of Science
11:10-11:30 - SHI Yunli
Professor, University of Science and Technology of China, China
Knowledge Introduction Versus Cultural Understanding: A Lesson from the Importation of Western Astronomy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
11:30-11:50 - MACUGLIA, Daniele
Assistant Professor, Peking University, China
The Transformative Power of Computer Simulations: Tracing the Impact and
Significance in Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic
11:50-12:00 Discussion
12:00-13:00 Buffet Lunch (Third Floor, Nongyuan Canteen, PKU)
13:00-13:30 Campus Tour
Session 3
14:00-15:30 Panel Moderator:
- WU Guosheng
Professor, Tsinghua University, China
Panelists:
14:00-14:20 - YU Xinzhong
Professor, Nankai University, China
Calamity Culture and Modern Revelations in Traditional Chinese
Plague Narratives
14:20-14:40 - HANSON, Marta
Independent Scholar
Affiliate Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany
Narrative Medicine in China and Chinese Sources for Narrative Medicine
14:40-15:00 - ZHANG Li
Professor, Peking University, China
"Diplomacy for Science": Another Perspective on China's International Science
and Technology Exchange in the Context of the Cold War
15:00-15:20 - SUZUKI, Akihito
Professor, Tokyo University, Japan
Social and Economic History of Mental Hospitals in Tokyo:
Psychiatric Hospitals, the Families and the Police, c. 1920-c.1945
15:20-15:30 Discussion
15:30-15:50 Coffee Break
Session 4
15:50-17:30 Panel Moderator:
- CHEN Hao
Associate Professor, Peking University, China
Panelists:
15:50-16:10 - SIMON, Zoltán
Research Fellow, Bielefeld University, Germany
Historical Understanding and the Concepts of Earth System Science
16:10-16:30 - MESSNER, Angelika
Professor, Keele University, U.K.
Self-cultivation Matters
16:30-16:40 Discussion
16:40-17:00 - ALEKNA, John
Assistant Professor, Peking University, China
Speaking the Same Language
17:00-17:20 - BRAY, Francesca
Professor, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
Global Pasts, Global Presents: Decolonizing History of Technology to
Build New Solidarities
17:20-17:30 Discussion
18:00 Buffet Dinner (Third Floor, Nongyuan Canteen, PKU)
Time: November 5th, 2023
Venue: Room No.2, Overseas Exchange Center，Peking University
09:00-10:50 Roundtable Discussion
The Problems and Opportunities of an Instantaneous History of Science: Reflections on the International Academic Community
Abstract
Over the last few years, the Coronavirus epidemic has challenged and changed human communication. Nowhere is this more true than in academic communities, for whom communication—across generations and geographical boundaries—is the heart of their profession. New technology has provided multiple ways connect. Our panelists, as both researchers in the history of science, technology and medicine and members of various international scholarly communities, have a dual perspective: that of the observer and participant. Therefore, this roundtable discussion hopes to explore the changes that have occurred both within the global history of science, technology, and medicine community and in its interconnection with the wider world. What previously hidden structural dilemmas has the Coronavirus epidemic revealed? What problems has it catalyzed? What help have new technological tools provided? And what are their limits? Certainly, these tools have enabled our historical and scientific communities to reach far wider audiences far more quickly than ever before. Yet, at the same time, this been tied to increasing skepticism of science and hostility to scientific communities. Does the speed with which we can create and disseminate new histories and sociologies of science play a role, either as a help or hinderance? How have the international societies and academic institutions in which you participate dealt with the dilemmas that emerged from this situation of simultaneous disconnection and hyper-connection? Looking forward, what will the post-pandemic world look like for the international history of science, technology and medicine community? What challenges and opportunities will the new normal offer us?
Panel Moderators
- FAN, Fa-ti (online)
Professor, Binghamton University, State University of New York, U.S.
- ZHANG Li (offline)
Professor, Peking University, China
Speakers
- MACLEOD, Roy (Professor, University of Sydney, Australia)
- SCHMALZER, Sigrid (Professor, University of Massachusetts, U.S.)
- TURCHETTI, Simone (Professor, University of Manchester, U.K.)
- HANSON, Marta (Independent Scholar, affiliate Max Planck Institute for the
History of Science)
- SHI Yunli (Professor, University of Science and Technology of China, China)
- TSUKAHARA , Togo (Professor, Kobe University, Japan)
Free Discussion
- All Participants
Roundtable Summary & Closing Remarks
- ZHANG Li
Professor, Peking University, China
11:30 Buffet Lunch (Third Floor, Nongyuan Canteen, PKU)
The Department of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine at Peking University
A Brief Introduction
The Department of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine at Peking University, established in 2019 under the direction of Academician Han Qide, focuses on the history of modern and contemporary Chinese science and technology, as well as the history of medicine. It is committed to building itself into a globally renowned institute for the history of science, while embracing the unique characteristics of Peking University.
We have an international teaching and research team, comprising five full-time faculty members (including two foreign nationals), as well as a large number of cross-listed interdisciplinary faculty. Our research concentrates on China and East Asia from ancient times to present, though we also have strengths in transregional histories of scientific knowledge, with particular attention to the interactions between China, Europe, and Central, South, or Southeast Asia. Within the history of science, we focus on disciplinary or epistemological history, technology, education, and the social history of science, technology, and medicine. We have also developed a strong program addressing emerging topics such as digital humanities, history of material culture, public health, and environmental history.
Over the past five years, we have received support from the National Social Science Foundation of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of the Ministry of Education, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation, the Talent Funding Program of the Beijing Municipal Center for Overseas Scholars, as well as a variety of projects from the Chinese Association for Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. We have published nearly 40 papers and academic works in English and Chinese, many of which have been published in top-ranked SCIE, SSCI, or A&HCI journals. Our articles have thus contributed to the dissemination of science and culture, and been honored with the "Wenjin Book Award" and the "China Popular Science Writers' Association Award for Outstanding Popular Science."
Since the founding of the department, we have established a comprehensive curriculum for master's and doctoral students, currently enrolling 10 doctoral students and 15 master's students. Our admissions process emphasizes the diversity of the student’s disciplinary backgrounds, in order to encourage cross-disciplinary pollination and promote a dialogue, perhaps even a fusion, among the arts and sciences. The graduate program system focuses on modern China, contemporary history of science and technology, and the history of medicine, covering the entire period of post-classical Chinese history in a global perspective. The languages of instruction are Chinese and English, supplemented by other languages as research requires. In this early period, we have already formed a clear program of courses and training to cultivate a scientific and humanistic spirit in the leading scholars of the next generation. Master's degree students are equipped with the academic foundation to understand the value of science and its social functions; doctoral students emerge as history of science and technology researchers with a global vision and deep originality. In addition to the postgraduate training system, the department also offers relevant courses for all undergraduates in order to further its commitment to breaking down the disciplinary barriers between arts and sciences.
In line with Academician Han Qide's founding goal of building an "open platform for exchange and cooperation", the department has organized several international conferences and symposia including "Science, Technology, Health and Society in the Perspective of Science and Culture" (2019), "History of Chinese Science and Technology Diplomacy in the 20th Century" (2019), and "The History of Chinese Science and Technology Diplomacy in the 20th Century" (2019), "Science, Technology, Health and Society in the Perspective of Science and Culture" (2019), "History of China's Science and Technology Diplomacy in the 20th Century" (2022), and "Reinventing Dialogue: History of Science and Technology, History of Medicine and the Contemporary World" (2023). The department has established close cooperation with history of science institutions at leading international universities through an invitational lecture series titled "Lectures on the Frontiers of the History of Science and Technology." At the same time, Peking University has played a leading role in the discipline by initiating and organizing four National Joint Meetings of History of Science and Technology Association, and liaising with sister institutions in China to seek a common path for the development of the discipline.
The history of science and technology bridges the arts and sciences. It integrates the ancient and modern, and is indispensable to the promotion of scientific and humanistic spirit. Over the past five years since its establishment, the Department of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine of Peking University has achieved excellent results in academic research, talent training, and service to the construction of science and culture. Building upon this basis, we continue to strive to promote the development of the History of Science and Technology at Peking University and in the world.
Faculties
ZHANG Li
Director, Professor
Ph.D., Science and Society Research Center, Peking University, 2003
Research Interests: the history of science in China in the 20th century, the history of science diplomacy, the history of modern chemistry, oral history of science and technology.
CHEN Hao
Associate Professor
Ph.D., History of Ancient China, Peking University, 2011
Research Interests: history of medicine in pre-modern China, history of manuscript culture and printed books to the history of non-human animals during pandemics.
John ALEKNA
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., History, Princeton University, 2020
Research Interests: history of communication technologies, exploration and science in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Daniele MACUGLIA
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., History of Science, The University of Chicago, 2016
Research Interests: History of computational science, computational methods in statistical mechanics
CAO Qi
Lecturer
Ph.D., History, Peking University, 2020
Research Interests: history of science in China in the 20th century, history of science communication
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