About the Chair History of Knowledge

How did knowledge of Africa or that originated in Africa come to Europe? How were notions of scarcity and crisis informed not only by material conditions, but also by scientific and intellectual currents? How did knowledge about social cohesion and humans living together come to be? In other words, how and in which forms did knowledge become the decisive basis for modern societies and their thinking about the future?

The branch of history of knowledge of the University of Konstanz understands history of knowledge not to be a sub-discipline of history, but rather a perspective or an open historical horizon of questions. We explore the historical development of knowledge, its changing forms and conditions for production as well as the evolution of the social functions of knowledge. At the same time, our work pays particular attention on the historical moments and configurations in which knowledge and its characteristics are themselves the topic of discourse. One central topic, in the context of its comprehensive programme of research and teaching, is scientific research as a historical culture of knowledge with its own institutions, objects, semantics and practices.

The Konstanz team focuses on the cultural, intellectual, environmental and global history from the 18th century to the 21st century. Its interest lies in the history of social epistemology and praxeology from a global perspective as well as in the intersection between knowledge, practice, and the natural world.