Debates about the importance of the humanities versus the natural sciences in education are nothing new, writes @isakhammar.bsky.social — though the dominant view in early 19th-century Europe might come as a surprise to us today. ✍️ One from the JHoK Blog archive (2021)

Natural Science as Humanistic Knowledge: Negotiating Epistemic Legitimacy in Sweden, 1800–1850

Scientists, physicians, and state officials argued that the mental and moral development of students resulted from studying nature—just like their peers in philology and classical languages.

blog.journalhistoryknowledge.org

What is "Humanities Diplomacy"? I explore this very question in a new article about the role of the humanities in the early years of UNESCO, ahead of print, open access in Journal of Contemporary History. Check it out! journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Only a decade ago, History of Humanities did not exist as a recognized field. How has it taken shape and been institutionalized? Join our digital workshop on 5 Dec, 3.00-5:30 p.m. CET, with insights from Mexico to China and from South Africa to Turkey. www.historyofhumanities.org/2025/10/15/d...

Last chance for free download today!

Kasper Risbjerg Eskildsen@kreskildsen.bsky.social · 9mo ago

My book, Things of the Past: A Modern Yearning, is now available for free download from CUP, until November 13. It offers a short global history of our longing for historical artefacts, discussing Asia, Africa, Europe, South- and North America. Please share and comment!

After a decade of History of Humanities as a new discipline, the moment has come to take stock. How has the field developed across the world? Join our digital round table on December 5, to discuss this question. We have speakers from all continents! www.historyofhumanities.org/2025/10/15/d...

THE HISTORY OF KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE This week, on 8–10 October, LUCK is organizing The History of Knowledge Conference in Lund. I am delighted to be the host together with my dear colleagues. The programme can be found here: newhistoryofknowledge.com/wp-content/u...

Recommended reading -- I'm glad to see the first article of the Minerva Special Issue on the history of peer review in the humanities, co-edited by Marie-Gabrielle Verbergt and me, in print!

Hampus Östh Gustafsson@hosthgustafsson.bsky.social · 11mo ago

What was the Swedish ”docent grade”? In a new article in Minerva, @isakhammar.bsky.social and I explore evaluative cultures in the history of the humanities: link.springer.com/article/10.1... This will be part of an upcoming special issue on the history of peer review in the humanities.

What was the Swedish ”docent grade”? In a new article in Minerva, @isakhammar.bsky.social and I explore evaluative cultures in the history of the humanities: link.springer.com/article/10.1... This will be part of an upcoming special issue on the history of peer review in the humanities.

The Elusive ‘Docent Grade’: Evaluative Cultures in and Beyond the Swedish Humanities (1876–1969) - Minerva

In the late nineteenth and for much of the twentieth century, an academic career in Sweden was highly dependent on what grade a scholar’s doctoral dissertation was awarded. Unless receiving a so-calle...

link.springer.com

Do check it out, fully open access via link below

Hampus Östh Gustafsson@hosthgustafsson.bsky.social · 11mo ago

What was the Swedish ”docent grade”? In a new article in Minerva, @isakhammar.bsky.social and I explore evaluative cultures in the history of the humanities: link.springer.com/article/10.1... This will be part of an upcoming special issue on the history of peer review in the humanities.

Isak Hammar: ”Republikens maktbalans bygger – både i den romerska modellen och i dess amerikanska 1700-talsmotsvarighet – förutom på de olika nodernas formella struktur också på mer outtalade spelregler, dygder och ideal.”

Maktdelning i det republikanska Rom och i dag – Svensk filosofi

Rom blev en republik efter att den siste av sju kungar hade störtats. Isak Hammar noterar att balansen i den romerska republikens politiska system återkommande har idealiserats genom historien – men a...

svenskfilosofi.se

Extended deadline for Vol. 5 of the scholarly yearbook ”History of Intellectual Culture” (De Gruyter). The contributions will be peer reviewed and available open access. The deadline for submitting a proposal is now 2 June. You can find the CfP at: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/03/18/c...

CfP: History of Intellectual Culture

The editors invite contributions to Vol. 5 of the scholarly yearbook History of Intellectual Culture (De Gruyter), to be published in autumn 2026. The contributions will be peer reviewed …

newhistoryofknowledge.com

Extended deadline for Vol. 5 of the scholarly yearbook History of Intellectual Culture (De Gruyter), to be published in autumn 2026. Peer reviewed and open access. Deadline June 2, 2025. Check out the CfP at: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/03/18/c...

CfP: History of Intellectual Culture

The editors invite contributions to Vol. 5 of the scholarly yearbook History of Intellectual Culture (De Gruyter), to be published in autumn 2026. The contributions will be peer reviewed …

newhistoryofknowledge.com

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting five historians in Lund as part of LUCK’s International Fellowship Programme: Barbara Hof (Lausanne), Laura Loporcaro (Ghent), Ann-Sophie Levidis (Australian National University), Floris Solleveld (Amsterdam) and Daniel Töpper (Berlin). Thank you all!

Today we welcome five visiting researchers to Lund. Barbara Hof, Laura Loporcaro, Ann-Sophie Levidis, Floris Solleveld and Daniel Töpper are all part of LUCK’s International Visiting Fellowship Programme. They will stay in Lund this week, presenting their research and interacting with us. Welcome!

Are you aware that the Society for the History of the Humanities has an open call for Digital Events in 2025? More info: www.historyofhumanities.org/2024/12/17/c...

Are you aware that the Society for the History of the Humanities has an open call for Digital Events in 2025? More info: www.historyofhumanities.org/2024/12/17/c...

Call for papers digital workshop in the History of humanities: Comparing Comparing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Comparative Methods and their Histories 9–11 July 2025, hybrid format. Open to all/free of charge Deadline for abstracts: 31 March 2025 www.historyofhumanities.org/2025/02/28/c...

CfP: “History of Intellectual Culture” We invite contributions to Vol. 5 of the scholarly yearbook "History of Intellectual Culture" (De Gruyter), to be published in autumn 2026. The deadline for submitting a proposal is 5 May. Read more here: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/03/18/c...

In 2021, Charlotte Lerg, Jana Weiss and I founded the yearbook “History of Intellectual Culture”. After working with it for several years, we are delighted to gradually hand over to Isak Hammar and Swen Steinberg. Welcome on board! More here: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/03/18/i...

Seminar: “Peer Review in the Humanities” On 17 March, 13.15–15.00, LUCK is organizing the hybrid seminar “Peer Review in the Humanities: Evaluative Practices from the 19th to the 21st century”. More information: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/03/11/s...

The History of the Humanities is one of six focus areas in the newly published Call for Papers for the second international History of Knowledge Conference on 8–10 October, 2025, to be held at Lund University, Sweden. Deadline for abstacts: May 1, 2025.

New book by my colleagues Anna Nilsson Hammar and Svante Norrhem: “Serving Aristocracy: Negotiation, Learning, and Mobility in an Early Modern Knowledge Community” and available OA. Congratulations! newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/02/18/n...

New book: Serving Aristocracy

Fresh off the press and available as open access is Serving Aristocracy: Negotiation, Learning, and Mobility in an Early Modern Knowledge Community by Anna Nilsson Hammar and Svante Norrhem. Being …

newhistoryofknowledge.com

On 8–10 October 2025, LUCK will organise the second international History of Knowledge Conference. Our Call for Papers/Panels has now been published and we encourage you to submit an abstract: newhistoryofknowledge.com/2025/02/17/t...

Next to our special issue on the Classics of the Humanities in Africa, the latest issue of History of Humanities also contains 4 research articles by Jakub Stejskal, Ori Sela, Kriston R. Rennie and Gerben Zaagsma, as well as 12 book reviews! See www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/hoh/2024...

Rens Bod@rensbod.bsky.social · 2y ago

Just published: our special issue of History of Humanities on the Classics of the Humanities in Africa! With introductions to foundational texts from the 11th to the 21st century: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

How did scholars in the humanities publish their research before disciplinary journals existed? New article out in History of European Ideas (open access).

A smorgasbord of print: the development of scholarly publishing in the Swedish humanities, c. 1840–1880

This article traces publishing patterns in the Swedish humanities between 1840 and 1880; a period characterized by a new publishing regime yet bridging two dominant publication forms, the dissertat...

tandfonline.com

How did scholars in the humanities publish their research before disciplinary journals existed? New article out in History of European Ideas (open access).

A smorgasbord of print: the development of scholarly publishing in the Swedish humanities, c. 1840–1880

This article traces publishing patterns in the Swedish humanities between 1840 and 1880; a period characterized by a new publishing regime yet bridging two dominant publication forms, the dissertat...

tandfonline.com

Thrilled to announce that the Call for Papers of "The Making of the Humanities XI" conference in Lund (9-11 October 2024) is open! Deadline for submissions: May 1, 2024 Organized by the Board of Events of the Society for the History of the Humanities. historyofhumanities.org/upcoming-mee...

Call for Papers: “The Making of the Humanities”   On 9–11 October, 2024, the eleventh conference in this series will be hosted by LUCK. This year’s special conference theme is “Shifting Cultures of Knowledge in the History of the Humanities”.   newhistoryofknowledge.com/2024/02/02/c...

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE HUMANITIES? Delighted to announce that issue 8.2 of History of Humanities is out! It contains a Forum on possible futures of the field, two review essays and eight book reviews. The introductory essay is a gem (and Open Access)! www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/hoh/2023...

Tomorrow, November 14, our workshop on Epistemic Transfer in the Humanities will take place. Join us to explore how knowledge flows from humanities disciplines to other fields, and how the humanities have changed the world. Participation is free! www.historyofhumanities.org/upcoming-mee...