Nadirane

Objectives of the Summer School

Impression de l'article

“Towards a History of Earth-System Science.”
Lalonde les Maures, France 15-21 July 2007

Climate change, the preservation of biodiversity, sustainable development, or the growing determination to prevent natural or man-made catastrophes have all been based on scientific discourses that are structured around the idea that there exists an “Earth-system.” Considered as a whole, the Earth-system today is construed as a measurable, computable entity that may be subject to rapid changes. Our research group was formed with the aim of studying over the long term the emergence and development of this scientific concept since the end of the eighteenth century. We deem it essential to put the history of scientific disciplines dealing with different aspects of the earth in relation with the evolution of social and cultural representations of the Earth-system, as well as with the various modes of acting on it elaborated at each period. (A more detailed presentation of our research project in French can be found below.)

During the summer school we are organising, our first objective is to assess various existing historiographic approaches. To approach such multifaceted topic, we wish to review some of the methodological tools that were developed at the intersection of several historiographies. Many fields of the history of science have dealt with one aspect or another of the Earth-system : for example works on the history of geology, meteorology, geomagnetism, vulcanology, or even ecology. But with rare exceptions these different histories too often seem isolated and we would like to examine how they can be brought to bear on one another.

To establish a history of the “Earth-system,” it also seems important to mobilize works following other approaches beyond those of the history of scientific knowledge and disciplines per se. Without pretending to be exhaustive, we select among those approaches : environmental history (including its relations to natural history and the history of medicine), the cultural history of catastrophes, be they natural (earthquakes, floods) or man-made (climate change, pollutions), as well as the sociology of risk-assessment, of expertise and of public policies.

In order to set up a few signposts for a long-term history of Earth-system science, we have chosen to structure courses and discussions during the summer school along three sets of interrogations : 1/ scientific knowledge and practices ; 2/ global risk, expertise and international regulation ; and 3/ military comprehension and control of the terrestrial globe.

Two types of presentations are planned : 1. ten to twelve 45-minute courses followed by 30-minute discussions 2. shorter presentations (original research, dissertation abstracts, commentaries on important books, etc.)