Workshop on the Sociology and History of the Social and Human Sciences (SHSHS)

November 16-17, 2023, University of Graz, Austria, Department of Sociology

In cooperation with Austrian Association for Sociology (ÖGS), Section History of the Sociology, German Sociological Association (DGS), Section History of Sociology, Archiv für die Geschichte der Soziologie in Österreich (AGSÖ), Gesellschaft für Soziologie an der Universität Graz (GSU)

Organized by Stephan Moebius & Martin Strauss (University of Graz)

Call for Papers

Social and historical studies of the social and human sciences are increasingly becoming a research field of their own. They have today their own journals (e.g. Journal for the History of the Behavioral Sciences, Revue d’histoire des sciences humaines, History of Humanities, Zyklos, Serendipities), their own book series (e.g. Socio-Historical Studies of the Social and Human Sciences, Sociology Transformed, Klassiker der Sozialwissenschaften), their own research committees in national and international professional associations, their own collective research projects and research groups, and so on. However, it remains a challenge to maintain a dialogue across the various disciplines involved. Little surprisingly, we encounter in the field of socio-historical studies of the social and human sciences the same plurality of theoretical approaches, objects, methodological tools, research practices and national traditions as in these disciplines themselves.

The series of annual workshops on the sociology and history of the social and human sciences (SHSHS) at the University of Graz, Austria, intends to create a space where these different approaches and interests can meet and enter into dialogue with each other. By providing an open forum of exchange for early-career researchers (Master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students) the workshops aim at building an interdisciplinary and international community of people interested in socio-historical studies of the social and human sciences.

According to these objectives, we are delighted to launch an open call for papers in the area of  socio-historical studies of the social and human sciences broadly conceived. Contributions might concern:

* Authors, groups, collectives, populations, networks, institutions, publishing houses, book series, etc.

* Ideas, concepts, words, labels, “isms”, “thought styles”, practices, etc.

* Research methods, methodologies, instruments, tools, technologies, research practices, empirical surveys, archives, etc.

* National traditions and contexts, processes of translation between contexts, transnational and global circulation of knowledge, international, supranational, transnational and global phenomena involving the social and human sciences.

* Disciplines or “knowledge forms”, their emergence, reconfiguration or disappearance, disciplinary “knowledge cultures” or “epistemic cultures”, exchanges between disciplines, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and “postdisciplinarity”.

* The methodology and epistemology of socio-historical studies of the social and human sciences (theoretical approaches, research designs and strategies, methods, types of sources, epistemological presuppositions and/or consequences, etc.).

* Contemporary phenomena and developments in the social and human sciences as well as public uses of social and human science knowledge.

* Present-day impacts of socio-historical studies of the social and human sciences on these disciplines and/or on society in general.

* We welcome and encourage contributions on individuals or groups that have been marginalized, “forgotten” or “written-out” in the social and human sciences (women, racialized persons, researchers from the global south, etc.) as well as on the underlying processes of marginalization (colonialism and imperialism, sexism, racism, classism, etc.).

* Contributions should adopt a historical, sociological, cultural, anthropological, economic, or other social or human science perspective on these various possible subjects.

* We invite contributions from and/or on the whole array of the social and human sciences: sociology, history, psychology, cultural and social anthropology, political science, economics, statistics, demography, philosophy, linguistics, literary studies, philologies, art history, cultural studies, science studies, history and sociology of science, etc.

The SHSHS workshop series continues a decade-long tradition of “Spring Schools” on the History and Sociology of the Social and Cultural Sciences at the University of Graz (for earlier events, see https://doktoratsprogramm-geschichte-soziologie-sozialwissenschaften.uni-graz.at/de/spring-schools/). It also builds on the recent success of a similar workshop series on the history of German-speaking sociology that resulted in the creation of a national research committee within the German Sociological Association (DGS, see https://soziologiegeschichte.wordpress.com/) as well as in a comprehensive handbook on the history and sociology of German-speaking sociology (see bibliography).

Keynote lecture by Gisèle Sapiro (EHESS/CNRS)

This year’s keynote lecture will be delivered by French sociologist Gisèle Sapiro (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris/Centre national de recherche scientifique, https://cessp.cnrs.fr/-SAPIRO-Gisele) on the topic “Social sciences and humanities, between national and international. Socio-historical perspective, the example of sociology” (https://doi.org/10.4000/socio-logos.5888).

Practicalities

* Target group: Early-career researchers (advanced Master’s to postdoctoral level), the main target group being doctoral students. We welcome, among other things, PhD projects, article projects, historical chapters of PhD theses, research proposals, etc.

* Abstract: Please submit an abstract of your paper (max. 500 words) until August 31, 2023 to stephan.moebius@uni-graz.at, martin.strauss@uni-graz.at and sab.list@uni-graz.at. You will receive a notification concerning acceptance until September 15, 2023.

* Working method: In order to enter into dialogue, we ask you to submit a paper (max. 10 p., preferably in English) threeweeks in advance of the workshop. This paper will be commented on (5-10 minutes) by one of your peers and/or local experts. Talks should be 20 minutes long and be held in English.

* Participation: The event will be held in physical presence in Graz. In exceptional cases online participation is possible as well (please contact the organizers in this case). The event is planned to start with the keynote lecture in the afternoon of the first day and end in the evening of the second day.

* Travel funds: For participants coming from outside Graz, we can provide to some extent travel funds. Resources being limited we ask you, however, to check whether you can also get financial support from your institution.

Indicative bibliography

Camic, Charles, Neil Gross, and Michèle Lamont, eds. 2011. Social Knowledge in the Making. Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press.

Dayé, Christian, and Stephan Moebius, eds. 2015. Soziologiegeschichte. Wege und Ziele. Berlin: Suhrkamp.

Endreß, Martin, and Stephan Moebius, eds. 2014-. Zyklos. Jahrbuch für Theorie und Geschichte der Soziologie. Yearbook. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

Fleck, Christian, Johan Heilbron, Marco Santoro, and Gisèle Sapiro, eds. 2018-. Socio-Historical Studies of the Social and Human Sciences. Book Series. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Fleck, Christian, Matthias Duller, and Victor Karády, eds. 2019. Shaping Human Science Disciplines. Institutional Developments in Europe and Beyond. Socio-Historical Studies of the Social and Human Sciences. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Fleck, Christian, and Christian Dayé, eds. 2020. Meilensteine der Soziologie. Frankfurt/Main: Campus.

Heilbron, Johan, Remi Lenoir, and Gisèle Sapiro, eds. 2004. Pour une histoire des sciences sociales. Paris: Fayard.