Exploring global history through the lens of history of chemistry: Materials, identities and governance (original) (raw)
This is a draft of the introduction to a special section on "Chemistry and Global Histories Since 1850" that will be published in the journal HISTORY OF SCIENCE. As global history continues to take shape as an important field of research, its interactive relationship with the history of science, technology and medicine are recognized and being investigated as significant areas of concern. Strangely, despite the fact that it is key to understanding so many of the subjects that are central to global history and would itself benefit from a broader geographical perspective, the history of chemistry has largely been left out of this process-particularly for the modern historical period. This article argues for the value of integrating the history of chemistry with global history, not only for understanding the past, but also for thinking about our shared present and future. Toward this end, it [1] explores the various ways in which 'chemistry' has and can be defined, with special attention to discussions of 'indigenous knowledge systems'; [2] examines the benefits of organizing historical inquiry around the evolving identities of material substances; [3] considers ways in which the concepts of 'chemical governance' and 'chemical expertise' can be expanded to match the complexities of global history, especially in relation to environmental issues, climate change and pollution; [4] seeks to sketch the various geographies entailed in bringing the history of chemistry together with global histories.
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