What do physics and matter have to do with the theory of history? How have models of physical reality shaped our understanding of history? Can quantum mechanics help us rethink it? Asks @lisaregazzoni.bsky.social in her inaugural essay for the MOTH blog. #TheoryOfHistory #Materiality

Rethinking the Ontology of History: From Things of the Past to the Quantum Nature of Historical Phenomena

<a href="https://gtw.hypotheses.org/towards-a-material-oriented-theory-of-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration:none;color:inherit"> <p class="has-text-align-center...

gtw.hypotheses.org

A warm welcome to the MOTH blog, now part of Theory of History at Work! Follow the @volkswagenstiftung.de funded project "Towards a Material-Oriented Theory of History" (MOTH) as it explores new ways of thinking about history and materiality. #TheoryOfHistory #Materiality #MOTH

Towards a Material-Oriented Theory of History (MOTH)

Rethinking the Ontology of History: From Things of the Past to the Quantum Nature of Historical Phenomena. By Lisa Regazzoni What does history have to do with physics? Or matter with theory of history...

gtw.hypotheses.org

It’s Tuesday and Martina Kessel from @uni-bielefeld.de explains how the current danger to democracy is connected to the ways modern societies have organised themselves since the late eighteenth century. Read more: gtw.hypotheses.org/37421

The Exclusionary Self: The Modern as Identity Politics in Unequal Intention

<strong><a href="https://gtw.hypotheses.org/author/martinakessel">Martina Kessel</a></strong> - Democracy today is under serious attack.  How does that danger connect to the construction of ‘the moder...

gtw.hypotheses.org

⏰ Today is Blog Day! In her post, Rebecca Bender examines pieces of dowry: Are they merely coded expressions of disciplined women's labor, or did they also provide a medium through which women could inscribe aspects of their own individuality? Enjoy reading 👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/36619

„Arbeit ist der Frauen Zier“—Eine „dingliche“ Perspektive auf eine designiert weibliche, materielle Kultur

<strong><a href="https://gtw.hypotheses.org/author/juliangraeml">Rebecca Bender</a></strong> - Filigrane Fäden, Stich an Stich. Präzise Linien und Kreuze – Rot auf Weiß, Weiß auf Weiß. Gestickte Buchs...

gtw.hypotheses.org

#ArticleSnapshot📸: Christian de Pee's "The Naitō Hypostasis" scrutinizes Naitō Konan's role as a founding figure for historians of Middle-Period China, a role de Pee claims is rooted in misleading representations and underexplored political purposes. doi.org/10.1111/hith...

THE NAITŌ HYPOSTASIS: NAITŌ KONAN (1866–1934) AND THE JAPANESE IMPERIALIST LEGACY IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF MIDDLE‐PERIOD CHINA (800–1400 CE)

In 1955, Hisayuki Miyakawa published an article that sought to introduce American and European scholars to the work of the Japanese Sinologist Naitō Konan (1866–1934). Miyakawa drew particular attent...

doi.org

#ArticleSnapshot📸: "'The Normal Exception': Edoardo Grendi, Microanalysis, and Generalizations" by Francesca Trivellato discusses Edoardo Grendi's "Micro-analisi e storia sociale" (1977), which Trivellato translated and published in our June 2026 issue. doi.org/10.1111/hith...

Read Trivellato's translation of Grendi's "Micro-analisi e storia sociale," published under the title "'The Normal Exception': 'Microanalysis and Social History' (1977)," in our June 2026 issue: doi.org/10.1111/hith...

Plus d’informations ici : gtw.hypotheses.org/36064

De la poussière, des grains, des plis. Matières, sens et affects face à l’archive psychiatrique

<strong><a href="https://gtw.hypotheses.org/author/romaintiquet">Romain Tiquet</a></strong> & <strong><a href="https://gtw.hypotheses.org/author/jessicaschüpbach">Jessica Schüpbach</a></strong> - Ce t...

gtw.hypotheses.org

Le texte oscille ainsi entre deux voix et deux parcours respectifs, interrogeant l’archive comme un espace de savoir et d’expérience sensible.

Telles sont les questions que les deux explorent à travers leurs expériences vécues, leurs anecdotes et des retours d’expérience.

Quelle place donner à la réflexivité dans notre travail d'historien·ne, à l'éthique face au travail d'archives ou à la prise en compte d'une perspective sensible dans la formulation de nos objets de recherche ?

Il est mardi et Jessica Schüpbach et Romain Tiquet, une historienne de la psychiatrie et un historien de l’Afrique, proposent un dialogue croisé sur les questionnements auxquels elle et il ont été confronté·es dans le cadre de leur travail sur des dossiers de patient·es en psychiatrie.

What does history have to do with physics? Matter with theory? How can models of physical reality, such as #QuantumMechanics, help us rethink historical reality? Today I am presenting @mothbielefeld.bsky.social, funded by @volkswagenstiftung.de at the #INTH - #TheoryOfHistory Conference in Tallinn.

If you wish to participate, please send an email to theoriezentrale-geschichte@uni-bielefeld.de ! More informations:

On 26-27 May, a workshop at #BielefeldUniv explores @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social how #materiality and #time shape historical research, linking theory, historiography, and interdisciplinary debate. X-A2-103 | 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. #timeasargument #materialitybetweenpastandfuture #theoryofhistory

📣 Welche Geschichten können materielle Familienerinnerungen erzählen? Eine spannende Suche nach Antworten und nach neuen Fragen von Julian Gräml in „Der Nutzen des Kreuzes“, entstanden im Rahmen einer Lehrveranstaltung von @sinasteglich.bsky.social (@lmu.de). Enjoy it! 👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/35655

Der Nutzen des Kreuzes. Memorialobjekte aus Massenproduktion als Frage- und Antwortgeber

Julian Gräml - Inmitten von Geburtsurkunden und spießigen Urlaubsfotos findet sich ein Kriegsverdienstkreuz aus der NS-Zeit. Was zunächst Nachforschungen über den eigenen Urgroßvater auslöst, wirft sc...

gtw.hypotheses.org

In the hopes that others are more often on this site than I am, I'm happy to share this CfP and ask you forward to any and all you think may be interested in a workshop exploring practices of the archival commons in and beyond Africa (esp. early career scholars!!): www.hsozkult.de/event/id/eve...

Today in a week (7.05, 16/17h Central European/Finnish time), Vasso Kindi (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) will give the talk in "Is Historiography a Science?" in our joint research seminar. For the abstract and Zoom link, please see here: www.oulu.fi/en/events/hi.... All welcome!

Is Historiography a Science?

Is Historiography a Science?

oulu.fi

💡 Here, the Study Group "Think Tank Theory" is diving into M. Hughes-Warrington's (@marnieh-w.bsky.social) wonderful article, “Ethics for Artificial Historians” (H&T 2025), in anticipation of her upcoming #KoselleckLecture, “Artificial Historians Colluding”, on 27 May at the ZThF @zthf.bsky.social

📣 A proposition for (historico-)theoretical thinkers by Maja-Lisa Müller on our blog—an absolutely worth-reading text on containers... of space and time 👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/35392

Containers: A Proposition for a Preposition

Maja-Lisa Müller - “Let us not reify containers”. Archaeologist John Robb begins his short article Contained within history with this statement. His approach may seem a little curious, given the key r...

gtw.hypotheses.org

Have you already seen our upcoming events at SoSe 2026, which you can find in full on our website? Here's a quick overview: #zthf #theoryofhistory

To mark the start of the semester, the MOTH team gathered to reflect on materiality through hands-on work with a ceramic object. Guided by Noa Ranzer, we explored how different practices shape the way we see, inquire, and understand traces of the past and their transformations. #TheoryOfHistory

Very interesting talk in our joint research seminar—recommendation! And our seminar will continue on May 7, with Vasso Kindi speaking about "Is Historiography a Science?".

Centre for Philosophical Studies of History@cpshoulu.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New video on our Youtube channel! Watch the talk "Truthmakers for Historiographic Counterfactuals" that Michael Woundy gave in our research seminar back here: youtu.be/xBtgn4YYGeA?.... Happy watching!

This week, Franziska Ludewig from Bielefeld University is publishing an blog post. In it, she explores how concepts of time are used to establish social norms within the discourse on “female destiny.”👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/33882

Sozial normierte Zeit: die begrenzte Zukunft einer Frau bürgerlichen Standes um 1800

Franziska Ludewig - Teaser: Zeit normiert. Allein unser Alltag ist durchzogen von zeitlichen Vorgaben. Können aber auch umgekehrt Normen auf das soziale Zeitverständnis einwirken? Antwort versprechen ...

gtw.hypotheses.org

Diese Woche veröffentlicht Franziska Ludewig von der Universität Bielefeld einen Beitrag. Darin geht sie der Frage nach, wie im Rahmen des Diskurses über „weibliche Bestimmung” Zeitkonzeptionen zur sozialen Normierung genutzt werden.👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/33882

Sozial normierte Zeit: die begrenzte Zukunft einer Frau bürgerlichen Standes um 1800

Franziska Ludewig - Teaser: Zeit normiert. Allein unser Alltag ist durchzogen von zeitlichen Vorgaben. Können aber auch umgekehrt Normen auf das soziale Zeitverständnis einwirken? Antwort versprechen ...

gtw.hypotheses.org

Spring marked the start of MOTH at Bielefeld University (funded by @volkswagenstiftung.de). Led by @lisaregazzoni.bsky.social, we explored material analysis as a way to rethink the study of the past and connect the natural sciences with the humanities. A first step in a four-year journey.

We’re kicking things off!!

Towards a Material Oriented Theory of History (MOTH)@mothbielefeld.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Spring marked the start of MOTH at Bielefeld University (funded by @volkswagenstiftung.de). Led by @lisaregazzoni.bsky.social, we explored material analysis as a way to rethink the study of the past and connect the natural sciences with the humanities. A first step in a four-year journey.

Today in two weeks (13.04), we'll have Dr. Florian Ruttner (Collegium Carolinum Prague) as guest in Ostrava. Florian will give the talk "Between Early Critical Theory, Unified Science and Sociology of Knowledge. Josef Doppler’s Critique of Oswald Spengler" More info below, and all welcome!

This week Marcus Wystub (@marcuswystub.bsky.social) writes about what troubled him while reading Jacques Derrida's 'Specters of Marx'. The absence of the name Chantal Mouffe in the book caused some irritation, which he explores in this article you can read more about here 👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/33637

Chantal Mouffes Gespenst

Marcus Wystub - Ich möchte von einem Gespenst berichten. Nämlich davon, was mich während der Lektüre von Jacques Derridas Marx Gespenster umtrieb. Die darin festgestellte Abwesenheit des Namens Chan...

gtw.hypotheses.org

🛎️ How can the theory of history be rethought through things and materiality? In this new blog post @lisaregazzoni.bsky.social explores “inbetweenness” as an ontological problem within the historical discipline - out of the box. #Theoryofhistory #materiality👇 gtw.hypotheses.org/33480

Lo “iato” come problema ontologico nella disciplina storica. Una proposta alternativa – out of the box.

Lisa Regazzoni - Le idee e i pregiudizi ontologici, sebbene spesso impliciti, influiscono in vari modi sulla ricerca storica e sulla scrittura della storia. Una di queste idee riguarda la “natura” del...

gtw.hypotheses.org