Programme

Confirmed invited speakers

Mine, thine, and ours: Collaboration and the material culture of the 20th Century Chemical Laboratory
Mary Jo Nye, Oregon State University, USA

The invisible heritage: Increasing relevance and use of material sources in the history of science
Marta Lourenço, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Uncovering and trading secret materials in the 17th century, or, How to make the Bologna stone
Lawrence Principe, Johns Hopkins University, USA

Theme: Chemistry in material culture

This interdisciplinary conference welcomes participants from a range of academic disciplines, including history of science and technology, economic history, cultural heritage research and the STS-field, as well as participants from chemistry, material science and related disciplines who have an interest in contributing to the writing of the history of their fields.

Chemistry is the premier science dealing with the material world. From early modern times to the present, chemists have been involved in the analysis and synthesis of materials, in manufacture and industrial production. Engaging in diverse fields such as medicine, metallurgy, dyeing, agriculture, et cetera the science had an important part in the shaping of the modern world, and was in turn shaped through its interactions with technology and industry. Simultaneously, the chemical laboratory is a site where our concepts of reality have been redefined. Historically, chemists have had an important role in defining the relationship of modern culture with the material world.

The conference will investigate all aspects of the history of alchemy and chemistry in its engagement with material culture, including the chemistry of materials and philosophies of matter. Papers might address:

• Chemical sites, objects and practices as cultural heritage
• The philosophical meaning of chemical “materiality”
• Chemical industry and the commodification of chemicals
• The cultural and economic significance of elements and other chemical “objects”
• Museum collections of chemical instruments and other chemistry-related objects
• Laboratories and experiments

Overview of conference

The excursion to Stockholm by bus will leave at noon on 24 August.As the conference focuses on material culture, including the connections between  museum science and the history of chemistry, the organizers have arranged a number of venues through which conference participants may engage with “chemical” objects in the Uppsala and Stockholm area.The main venue, Museum Gustavianum, will provide free access to exhibits for all participants throughout the conference.During the conference, a temporary exhibition on the history of crystallography will also be shown at the close-by University Library Carolina Rediviva. Furthermore, we will arrange guided tours for small groups of The Swedberg’s famous ultracentrifuge, a unique and well-preserved experimental setup in use until the 1960s.At noon, Saturday 24 August, participants will be bussed to Stockholm for lunch, and to visit two museums, Observatoriemuseet and Vasamuseet. Observatoriemuseet, www.observatoriet.kva.se  is the official museum of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. There we will have a special tour of the temporary exhibition on Jöns Jacob Berzelius, highlighting the great chemist’s original chemicals, glassware and experimental apparatus. At the Vasa museum, www.vasamuseet.separticipants will be given a guided tour on the chemistry of shipwrecks by expert chemists  involved in preserving large wooden ships.