Perspectives on Science
167 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -A new public events series from the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine brings historical perspective to contemporary issues and concerns.
In the public forums, historians and other specialists speak about culturally relevant topics in front of a live audience at Consortium member institutions. Forum subjects range from medical consumerism to public trust in science and technology. Videos of these events are also available at chstm.org.
In podcast episodes, authors of new books in the history of science, technology, and medicine respond to questions from readers with a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise. These conversations illuminate the utility and relevance of the past in light of current events.
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Episodes
Audra Wolfe Freedom's Laboratory
March 12, 2021 20:51 - 22 minutes - 21.1 MBIn this episode of Perspectives, we sit down with Audra Wolfe to discuss her book, Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science. In Freedom's Laboratory, Dr. Wolfe examines the relationship between science, politics, and governance in the United States during the Cold War, highlighting the ways in which scientists, policymakers, and administrators defined and thought about concepts such as "scientific freedom" and "Western science." She examines the role of scientists i...
Audra Wolfe — Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science
March 12, 2021 20:51 - 22 minutes - 21.1 MBIn this episode of Perspectives, we sit down with Audra Wolfe to discuss her book, Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science. In Freedom's Laboratory, Dr. Wolfe examines the relationship between science, politics, and governance in the United States during the Cold War, highlighting the ways in which scientists, policymakers, and administrators defined and thought about concepts such as "scientific freedom" and "Western science." She examines the role of scientists i...
Susan Lindee — Rational Fog: Science and Technology in Modern War
March 01, 2021 17:12 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBIn this episode of Perspectives, we talk with M. Susan Lindee, author of Rational Fog: Science and Technology in Modern War. In Rational Fog, Susan Lindee explores the way that science, technology and medicine were transformed by the military establishment and defense funding. She discusses the ways in which thousands of scientists, engineers, and physicians justified or made peace with creating technologies of war, or instead rebelled against the use of science for such pursuits. Indeed, as...
Susan Lindee Rational Fog
March 01, 2021 17:12 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBIn this episode of Perspectives, we talk with M. Susan Lindee, author of Rational Fog: Science and Technology in Modern War. In Rational Fog, Susan Lindee explores the way that science, technology and medicine were transformed by the military establishment and defense funding. She discusses the ways in which thousands of scientists, engineers, and physicians justified or made peace with creating technologies of war, or instead rebelled against the use of science for such pursuits. Indeed, as...
Elise Burton on Racial Science
February 17, 2021 12:53 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBElise Burton discusses the development of genetics, racial science, and race concepts in the Middle East. Dr. Burton sketches the connections between European, North American, and Middle Eastern scientists, and elaborates upon how contemporary issues (such as COVID-19) are influenced by ideas of genetic nationalism. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on racial science at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Elise Burton on Race and Science
February 17, 2021 12:53 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBElise Burton discusses the development of genetics, "race science," and race concepts in the Middle East. Dr. Burton sketches the connections between European, North American, and Middle Eastern scientists, and elaborates upon how contemporary issues (such as COVID-19) are influenced by ideas of genetic nationalism. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on Race Science and Scientific Racism at: www.chstm.org/video/101
The Economization of Global Health: World Development Report 1993
February 04, 2021 17:51 - 2 hours - 118 MBThis seminar in the Economization of Global Health series focuses on the origins, production and reception of one of the major moments in the economization of global health: the World Bank's World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health (WDR93). Our speakers, both internationally recognized economists, played key roles in this venture: Dean Jamison was the lead author of the report, while Abdo Yazbeck was responsible for much of the technical work. In this seminar, the two discuss their ...
Sebastian Gil-Riano on Race and Science
December 09, 2020 23:35 - 12 minutes - 6.23 MBSebastián Gil-Riaño examines how scientific articulations of human diversity have been used to both legitimize and confront notions of race and racism in the modern world. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on Race Science and Scientific Racism at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Sebastian Gil-Riano on Racial Science
December 09, 2020 23:35 - 12 minutes - 6.23 MBSebastián Gil-Riaño examines how scientific articulations of human diversity have been used to both legitimize and confront notions of race and racism in the modern world. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on racial science at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Sadiah Qureshi on Racial Science
December 09, 2020 23:35 - 14 minutes - 9.93 MBSadiah Qureshi recounts the history of the exhibition of displayed peoples in nineteenth-century Britain, and how these shows contributed to the formation of anthropology. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on racial science at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Sadiah Qureshi on Race and Science
December 09, 2020 23:35 - 14 minutes - 9.93 MBSadiah Qureshi recounts the history of the exhibition of displayed peoples in nineteenth-century Britain, and how these shows contributed to the formation of anthropology. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on Race Science and Scientific Racism at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Jonson Miller Engineering Manhood
November 23, 2020 14:35 - 20 minutes - 14.6 MBIn this podcast episode, we talk with Jonson Miller, author of Engineering Manhood: Race and the Antebellum Virginia Military Institute. In Engineering Manhood, Jonson Miller explores the development of the Virginia Military Institute and the engineering profession in the Antebellum United States. Miller delves into the ways in which VMI was a node in the struggle for political representation among lower and middle-class white men, while explicitly excluding women and black men from its ega...
Jonson Miller — Engineering Manhood: Race and the Antebellum Virginia Military Institute
November 23, 2020 14:35 - 20 minutes - 14.6 MBIn this podcast episode, we talk with Jonson Miller, author of Engineering Manhood: Race and the Antebellum Virginia Military Institute. In Engineering Manhood, Jonson Miller explores the development of the Virginia Military Institute and the engineering profession in the Antebellum United States. Miller delves into the ways in which VMI was a node in the struggle for political representation among lower and middle-class white men, while explicitly excluding women and black men from its ega...
John Jackson on Race and Science
November 16, 2020 18:40 - 21 minutes - 16.4 MBJohn Jackson discusses the legacy of nineteenth-century "race science" on twentieth-century scientific investigation, the challenge to "race science" made by population genetics and anthropology, and the ways in which the pseudoscience of race continues to inform twenty-first century debates. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on Race Science and Scientific Racism at: www.chstm.org/video/101
John Jackson on Racial Science
November 16, 2020 18:40 - 21 minutes - 16.4 MBJohn Jackson discusses the legacy of nineteenth-century racial science on twentieth-century scientific investigation, the challenge to racial science made by population genetics and anthropology, and the ways in which the pseudoscience of race continues to inform twenty-first century debates. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on racial science at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Rana Hogarth on Race and Science
November 16, 2020 18:40 - 12 minutes - 9.2 MBRana Hogarth talks about how white physicians "medicalized" blackness in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and how African-Americans pushed back against this endeavor. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on Race Science and Scientific Racism at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Rana Hogarth on Racial Science
November 16, 2020 18:40 - 12 minutes - 9.2 MBRana Hogarth talks about how white physicians "medicalized" blackness in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and how African-Americans pushed back against this endeavor. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on racial science at: www.chstm.org/video/101
Black Maternal Health: Historical and Reproductive Justice Reckonings
October 28, 2020 17:11 - 1 hour - 75.3 MBThis event looks at the profound health inequities around giving birth, further laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions with experts include how slavery and the history of reproductive medicine intersect, the impact that medical racism has on Black birthing people from slavery to freedom, engagement in the national reproductive justice movement, and recent efforts to address racial inequities in maternal mortality and morbidity in NYC. This event is part of the Race & Health series at...
Mary Fissell — Aristotle's Masterpiece: Early Modern Sex Ed
October 06, 2020 15:32 - 17 minutes - 32.2 MBFollow along with Professor Mary Fissell as she discusses her research on Aristotle's Masterpiece, a late 17th century sex, midwifery, and childbirth manual popular in England and America from its publication until well into the 20th century. Dr. Fissell explores the ways in which readers used their copies of the book to record births and vows of love and companionship, performing a similar function to the Bible. Dig into the similarities and differences between copies of the Masterpiece held...
Aristotle's Masterpiece: Early Modern Sex Ed with Mary Fissell
October 06, 2020 15:32 - 17 minutes - 32.2 MBFollow along with Professor Mary Fissell as she discusses her research on Aristotle's Masterpiece, a late 17th century sex, midwifery, and childbirth manual popular in England and America from its publication until well into the 20th century. Dr. Fissell explores the ways in which readers used their copies of the book to record births and vows of love and companionship, performing a similar function to the Bible. Dig into the similarities and differences between copies of the Masterpiece held...
Presidents of AAHM, HSS, and SHOT
September 23, 2020 18:24 - 1 hour - 145 MBJoin Fellows of the Consortium and Jan Golinski, Thomas Misa, and Keith Wailoo, the respective presidents of the History of Science Society, Society for the History of Technology, and the American Association for the History of Medicine, as they discuss the challenges of the present moment and what the future holds for their organizations. They discuss the organizations' new initiatives, the roles of young scholars in the Societies, the limits and opportunities of virtual meetings, inclusion ...
Technology Then And Now
August 27, 2020 20:40 - 1 hour - 81.9 MBWhat is the relationship between technological change and economic development? Do the roots of the 'knowledge economy' lie in sixteenth century Europe? Explore these issues and more beginning with an in-depth look at Johannes Stradanus's Nova Reperta [ca. 1590], an engraved series of prints depicting inventions such as the printing press, gunpowder, and guaiacum, a plant used to treat syphilis. Join our speakers as they go on to discuss the relationship between local and global knowledge, th...
Kavita Sivaramakrishnan on COVID-19
July 14, 2020 16:22 - 28 minutes - 18.7 MBKavita Sivaramakrishnan reflects on public engagement, political history, and the COVID-19 crisis in India. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Mary Augusta Brazelton on COVID-19
July 14, 2020 14:59 - 17 minutes - 10.1 MBMary Augusta Brazelton talks about the COVID-19 crisis along with the history of public health and modernization in China. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Marcos Cueto on COVID-19
July 14, 2020 14:45 - 11 minutes - 7.31 MBMarcos Cueto discusses the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Amir Afkhami on covid-19
June 26, 2020 18:24 - 27 minutes - 12.8 MBAmir Afkhami on covid-19 by CHSTM
Amir Afkhami on COVID-19
June 26, 2020 18:24 - 27 minutes - 12.8 MBAmir Afkhami discusses the history of epidemic disease in Iran, including the current crisis. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Nursing and COVID-19
June 25, 2020 19:40 - 28 minutes - 18.6 MBCindy Connolly, Patricia D'Antonio, and Julie Fairman discuss the role of nurses and the nursing profession in the history of pandemics. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Catherine Burns on covid-19 in South Africa
June 25, 2020 18:52 - 20 minutes - 19.5 MBCatherine Burns on covid-19 in South Africa by CHSTM
Catherine Burns on COVID-19 in South Africa
June 25, 2020 18:52 - 20 minutes - 19.5 MBCatherine Burns explores the COVID-19 crisis in South Africa in the context of the history of HIV/AIDS. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Why Go To The Moon
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBOn July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Fifty years later, five nations have sent spacecraft to the Moon and private enterprises are increasingly engaging with its exploration. The advancement of space science, the allure of profiting on lunar resources, and ideas for a permanent human presence on the Moon are raising attention. They also generate controversy and pose challenging questions. Why go to the Moon? Should we...
Elena Conis on COVID-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 14 minutes - 9.16 MBElena Conis examines how we use history, especially of the polio epidemics, when we discuss the COVID-19 pandemic. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Nancy Tomes on COVID-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBNancy Tomes reflects on the experience of being a historian of medicine during the COVID-19 epidemic, and interdisciplinary efforts to respond to the outbreak. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Dora Vargha On COVID-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 4 minutes - 3.02 MBDora Vargha talks about the role of international institutions during a pandemic. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Betty Smocovitis on COVID-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 14 minutes - 9.06 MBVassiliki Betty Smocovitis provides us with an introduction to the history and evolution of infectious disease. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Betty Smocovitis on covid-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 14 minutes - 9.06 MBBetty Smocovitis on covid-19 by CHSTM
Vargha Polio Across the Iron Curtain
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 29 minutes - 23.7 MBIn this podcast, we discuss the history of vaccines and public health with Dora Vargha, author of Polio Across the Iron Curtain: Hungary's Cold War with an Epidemic. Dora Vargha uses a series of polio epidemics in communist Hungary to understand the response to a global public health emergency in the midst of the Cold War. Dora Vargha was a 2010 to 2011 Dissertation Research Fellow and 2015 to 2016 Research Fellow at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Find thi...
Dora Vargha — Polio Across the Iron Curtain: Hungary's Cold War with an Epidemic
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 29 minutes - 23.7 MBIn this podcast, we discuss the history of vaccines and public health with Dora Vargha, author of Polio Across the Iron Curtain: Hungary's Cold War with an Epidemic. Dora Vargha uses a series of polio epidemics in communist Hungary to understand the response to a global public health emergency in the midst of the Cold War. Dora Vargha was a 2010 to 2011 Dissertation Research Fellow and 2015 to 2016 Research Fellow at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Find thi...
Poskett Materials of the Mind
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBIn this podcast episode, we talk with James Poskett, author of Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920. Phrenology was the most popular mental science of the Victorian age. From American senators to Indian social reformers, this new mental science found supporters around the globe. Materials of the Mind tells the story of how phrenology changed the world—and how the world changed phrenology. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consor...
James Poskett — Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBIn this podcast episode, we talk with James Poskett, author of Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815-1920. Phrenology was the most popular mental science of the Victorian age. From American senators to Indian social reformers, this new mental science found supporters around the globe. Materials of the Mind tells the story of how phrenology changed the world—and how the world changed phrenology. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consor...
Kathryn Olivarius on COVID-19
June 04, 2020 20:55 - 14 minutes - 8.24 MBKathryn Olivarius recounts how epidemics have exacerbated social and economical inequalities. Find this podcast and more in the Consortium's series on COVID-19 at: https://www.chstm.org/video/74
Joseph Martin — Solid State Insurrection: How the Science of Substance Made American Physics Matter
June 02, 2020 17:28 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBIn this episode, we talk with Joseph Martin, author of Solid State Insurrection: How the Science of Substance Made American Physics Matter. Joseph Martin tells the story of how solid state physics challenged and redefined some of the core ideals of American physics, and in the process played an essential role in sustaining the prestige physics enjoyed in Cold War American society. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consortium's website at: https://www.chstm.org/video/88
Joe Martin - Solid State Insurrection
June 02, 2020 17:28 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBIn this episode, we talk with Joseph Martin, author of Solid State Insurrection: How the Science of Substance Made American Physics Matter. Joseph Martin tells the story of how solid state physics challenged and redefined some of the core ideals of American physics, and in the process played an essential role in sustaining the prestige physics enjoyed in Cold War American society. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consortium's website at: https://www.chstm.org/video/88
Cameron Strang — Frontiers of Science: Imperialism and Natural Knowledge in the Gulf South...
May 26, 2020 15:58 - 21 minutes - 14.4 MBIn this episode, we talk with Cameron Strang, author of Frontiers of Science: Imperialism and Natural Knowledge in the Gulf South Borderlands: 1500-1850. Cameron Strang takes American scientific thought and discoveries away from the learned societies, museums, and teaching halls of the Northeast and puts the production of knowledge about the natural world in the context of competing empires and an expanding republic in the Gulf South. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consorti...
Cameron Strang Frontiers of Science
May 26, 2020 15:58 - 21 minutes - 14.4 MBIn this episode, we talk with Cameron Strang, author of Frontiers of Science: Imperialism and Natural Knowledge in the Gulf South Borderlands: 1500-1850. Cameron Strang takes American scientific thought and discoveries away from the learned societies, museums, and teaching halls of the Northeast and puts the production of knowledge about the natural world in the context of competing empires and an expanding republic in the Gulf South. Find this podcast and further resources on the Consorti...