Society for the History of Technology

Society for the History of Technology
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Name	Society for the History of Technology
Formation	1958
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	President

Society for the History of Technology is an international learned society dedicated to the study of the historical development of technology and its interactions with United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan. Founded by scholars who worked alongside figures associated with Smithsonian Institution, Museums, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the society fosters interdisciplinary research connecting practitioners and historians linked to Royal Society, Academy of Sciences, American Historical Association, British Academy.

History

The organization traces roots to post-World War II gatherings involving historians associated with IEEE, Royal Society of Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences (United States), Royal Society (United Kingdom), Smithsonian Institution and curators from Science Museum, London, Deutsches Museum, Musée des Arts et Métiers. Early leaders included scholars who published on topics related to Industrial Revolution, Second Industrial Revolution, Steam engine, Telegraph, Railways and worked with archives at Library of Congress, Bodleian Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France. During the 1960s and 1970s the society expanded in dialogue with institutions such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Columbia University, Princeton University and participants who studied figures like James Watt, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla. By the late 20th century it had formal ties with scholars who researched Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Westinghouse, Siemens, Mitsubishi and engaged with themes from Cold War technological competition to Space Race projects involving NASA, Roscosmos, European Space Agency.

Membership and Organization

Membership draws academics and professionals affiliated with Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley as well as museum curators from Smithsonian Institution, Science Museum, London, Deutsches Museum, librarians from Library of Congress, British Library, and corporate historians from General Electric, Siemens, IBM, AT&T, Bell Labs. The governance model includes elected officers who have held positions at American Historical Association, British Society for the History of Science, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, International Committee for the History of Technology and advisory boards with representatives from National Science Foundation, Arts and Humanities Research Council, European Research Council. Regional chapters connect scholars in New York City, Chicago, Boston, London, Paris and collaborate with university centers such as Center for the History of Science at Harvard University and research institutes like Max Planck Society.

Publications and Journals

The society publishes a flagship journal edited by scholars based at Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and features articles on topics including Industrial Revolution, Electrification, Automobile industry, Aerospace industry, Computer history. Major monograph series include edited volumes referencing work on James Watt, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Grace Hopper, Konrad Zuse and case studies of firms like Ford Motor Company, IBM, Bell Labs, Hewlett-Packard, Intel. Members contribute to bibliographies cataloged in repositories such as Library of Congress, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France and digital projects linked to Smithsonian Institution, National Archives (United States), Wellcome Trust.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual meetings convene historians and practitioners at venues including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Columbia University and partner conferences with American Historical Association, British Society for the History of Science, International Committee for the History of Technology, Association for Computing Machinery and IEEE History Center. The program committees have organized thematic sessions on Space Race, Nuclear power, Microelectronics revolution, Information Age, Renewable energy with keynote speakers drawn from institutions such as NASA, European Space Agency, Department of Energy (United States), National Institutes of Health. Regional workshops and symposia have been held in cities like Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Toronto to highlight transnational histories involving Siemens, Mitsubishi, Alstom, Fiat, Bombardier.

Awards and Recognitions

The society confers prizes and fellowships recognizing scholarship connected to figures and institutions such as James Watt, Thomas Edison, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Rosalind Franklin and honors research hosted at Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford. Awards have been presented to historians working on projects funded by National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council and recipients have later held posts at Princeton University, Columbia University, MIT, Brown University, University of Toronto. Special recognitions acknowledge contributions to museum exhibitions at Smithsonian Institution, Science Museum, London, Deutsches Museum, Musée des Arts et Métiers and major archival projects partnered with Library of Congress and British Library.

Category:Learned societies Category:History of technology