In the age of microbiome research, Earth system science, and the Anthropocene, American cell and microbiologist Lynn Margulis (1938-2011) has become a poster child of science studies and adjacent art-science worlds. Scholars such as Donna Haraway, Bruno Latour, and Isabelle Stengers have each found in Margulis’s work inspiration for their own conceptions of human-nature relations and onto-epistemological models, thereby turning her into a celebrity, a witness, and sometimes a prophet.
This engagement and fascination calls for deeper scholarship from historians of science and knowledge. To understand Margulis’s significance as a person and a persona, we propose to hold a workshop that will explore questions regarding her legacies and invocations, her fame versus her outsider status, her publication strategies and public appearances, as well as her interest in science studies. Aspects of gender and power relations will also be examined.
Historicizing her work and its reception depends on understanding the changing relationship between the molecular life sciences, evolutionary biology, and the earth and environmental sciences as well as the impact of cybernetics. At the same time, we need to attend to societal changes during and after the Cold War—such as social movements or the rise of neoliberalism—which offer important context for understanding these recent scientific developments.
To explore these and other related dimensions, we are inviting early career scholars (PhD candidates and postdocs) for a workshop to be held at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin on July 11-12, 2024. We hope for both close engagement with
Margulis and contributions that situate her work and life within prehistories and social and political contexts, including but not restricted to the abovementioned topics.
Info:
The deadline for submission of proposals (title, abstract of up to 300 words and short bio of up to 150 words) is November 15, 2023. Please submit one pdf with filename in the following format: surname_name_margulis2024.pdf to asilomar@rice.edu with “Margulis 2024” in the subject line. Cost of travel and accommodation during the workshop will be covered.
This workshop is organized by Luis Campos (Rice University), Mathias Grote (Universität Greifswald) and Salome Rodeck (MPIWG/ZfL Berlin) and hosted by Department II of the
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin.