CALL FOR PAPERS: Towards a History of Error

The Forschungszentrum Gotha and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin invite submission of paper abstracts for a workshop to be held in Berlin, 10-11 December 2015: Towards a History of Error.

The aim of the workshop is to identify key topics and episodes in European intellectual history of error in theology, philosophy, medicine, scholarship, and the sciences, from the late Middle Ages through the early nineteenth century. Themes include not only concepts but also methods for avoiding and eliminating error, as well as reflections on the causes and consequences of error.

Paper abstracts should be no more than 750 words long, and may be submitted in French, German, or English. Applicants are also asked to submit a curriculum vitae (including publications); applications from younger scholars are especially welcomed.

Organizers:
Lorraine Daston (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin), Fabian Krämer (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Martin Mulsow (Gotha Research Center of the University of Erfurt)

Please submit all materials to Ms. Tanja Neuendorf by no later than October 1, 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by November 1, 2014.

NEW POSITION: Max Planck Institute: Junior and Senior Visiting Residential Fellowships

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin (Max Planck Research Group Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe; Director: Prof. Dr. Sven Dupré) announces three junior and senior visiting residential fellowships for up to three months between January 1 and December 31, 2015. Outstanding junior and senior scholars (including those on sabbatical leave from their home institutions) are invited to apply.

Candidates should hold a doctorate in the history of science and technology, the history of art and art technology or related field (junior scholars should have a dissertation topic relevant to the history of science) at the time of application and show evidence of scholarly promise in the form of publications and other achievements.

Research projects should address the history of knowledge and art up to the eighteenth century (with a preference for the period between 1350 and 1750), and may concern any geographical area within Europe, and any object of the visual and decorative arts. For short descriptions of the projects of the Max Planck Research Group, see http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/research/projects/MRGdupre.

Visiting fellows are expected to take part in the scientific life of the Institute, to advance their own research project, and to actively contribute to the project of the Max Planck Research Group Artand Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is an international and interdisciplinary research institute (http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/index.html). The colloquium language is English; it is expected that candidates will be able to present their own work and discuss that of others fluently in that language. Fellowships are endowed with a monthly stipend between 2.100 € and 2.500 € (fellows from abroad) or between 1.468 € and 1.621 € (fellows from Germany), whereas senior scholars receive an honorary commensurate with experience.

The Max Planck Research Group Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe is also accepting proposals for non-funded Visiting Fellowships from one month to a year. These are normally open to junior and senior post-docs who have external funding. For projects highly relevant to the research platform of this Max Planck Research Group, Sven Dupré will support a limited number of applications for funding at organizations such as Fulbright, DAAD, and the Humboldt Society.

Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply; applications from women are especially welcome. The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting handicapped individuals and encourages them to apply. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae (including list of publications), a research proposal on a topic related to the project (750 words maximum), one sample of writing (i.e. article or book chapter) and two names of referees who have agreed to write a letter of recommendation to: https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mbwg/fellowshipdupre_2014_01.nsf/application

Deadline for submission: 1 April 2014

For questions concerning the Max Planck Research Group on Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe, please see http://www.mpiwgberlin.

mpg.de/en/research/projects/MRGdupre or contact Sven Dupré
(officedupre@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de); for administrative questions concerning the position and the Institute, please contact Claudia Paaß (paass@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de),

Head of Administration, or Jochen Schneider (jsr@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de), Research Coordinator.

NEW POSITION: Max Planck Institute: Post-Doctoral Fellowship

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin (Max Planck Research Group Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe; Director: Prof. Dr. Sven Dupré) in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (contact: Dr. Marta Ajmar, Head of Postgraduate Programme, V&A/RCA History of Design, Victoria and Albert Museum, London) announces one postdoctoral fellowship for three months between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

The tenure of the fellowship is to be divided between the two institutes: the first and third month will be spent at the MPIWG, the second month at the V&A. The fellow will be offered research facilities at both institutions.

Outstanding junior and senior scholars (including those on sabbatical leave from their home institutions) are invited to apply. Candidates should hold a doctorate in the history of science and technology, the history of art and art technology or a related field (junior scholars should have a dissertation topic relevant to the history of science) at the time of application and show evidence of scholarly promise in the form of publications and other achievements.

Research proposals should address the history of knowledge and art up to the eighteenth century (with a preference for the period between 1350 and 1750), and may concern any geographical area within Europe, and any object of the visual and decorative arts. Projects related to ongoing projects at the Max Planck Research Group Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe will receive preference. The proposal should make clear how the project would benefit from the resources and contribute to the research culture of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Visiting fellows are expected to take part in the scientific life of the Institute, to advance their own research project, and to actively contribute to the relevant project of the Max Planck Research Group Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe.


The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is an international and interdisciplinary research institute (http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/index.html). The colloquium language is English; it is expected that candidates will be able to present their own work and discuss that of others fluently in that language. Fellowships are endowed with a monthly stipend between 2.100 € and 2.500 € (fellows from abroad) or between 1.468 € and 1.621 € (fellows from Germany), whereas senior scholars receive an honorary commensurate with experience. The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science covers the round trip travel costs from the fellow’s home institution and a round trip Berlin-London.


The Victoria and Albert Museum is the United Kingdom’s national museum of art, craft and design. It offers an encyclopaedic resource in its collections of the visual arts from Europe and Asia, of both historical and contemporary importance, and is a powerhouse of skills and expertise. Research relating to the arts and humanities takes place across the institution and is expressed in the form of gallery development, temporary exhibitions, books which range from the popular to the highly academic, journal articles, website material, conferences and colloquia. It supports collections-based research in all areas of art and design, ensuring that exhibition, publication and gallery projects are enhanced by the most relevant and up-to-date scholarship and benefit from appropriate academic partnerships and funding opportunities. The V&A houses the National Art Library, a major public reference library for art and design. Further outstanding expertise and resources relevant to the joint fellowship can be found in the V&A’s curatorial collections and Conservation department. In close scholarly proximity to the V&A are other key ‘Albertopolis’ institutions dedicated to science, technology, art and design – the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, Imperial College and the Royal College of Art.

Many research projects are located in the Research department, which supports a wide number of exhibition research teams, a further group of scholars and the V&A/RCA Postgraduate Programme in the History of Design. It produces a number of publications and web-based outputs (Online Journal, Research Report, Research Bulletins) and oversees seminars and workshops to support the development of staff research and subject expertise. The Visiting Fellow will be based in the Research department and be expected to participate to the vibrant research culture of the department and the V&A/RCA History of Design community. S/he will be expected to contribute a research seminar during the period of the fellowship.

Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply; applications from women are especially welcome.

The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting handicapped individuals and encourages them to apply.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae (including list of publications), a research proposal on a topic related to the project (750 words maximum), one sample of writing (i.e. article or book chapter) and two names of referees who have agreed to write a letter of recommendation to:

https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mbwg/vadupre_2014_03.nsf/application

Deadline for submission: 1 April 2014

For questions concerning the Max Planck Research Group on Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe, please see http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/research/projects/MRGdupre or contact Sven Dupré (mailto:officedupre@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de); for administrative questions concerning the position and the Institute, please contact Claudia Paaß (paass@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de), Head of Administration, or Jochen Schneider (jsr@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de), Research Coordinator.

For enquiries concerning the Victoria and Albert Museum’s component of the fellowship, please contact Dr. Marta Ajmar, Head of Postgraduate Programme, V&A/RCA History of Design, Victoria and Albert Museum (m.ajmar@vam.ac.uk).

For more information about the V&A and its resources, visit the website (http://www.vam.ac.uk/;

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/n/national-art-library/; http://collections.vam.ac.uk/;

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/conservation-department/;

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/r/research-department/;

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/ma-history-of-design/).

Vacancy: The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science - PT Editorial Assistant

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is seeking to appoint an Editorial assistant part-time (50%).

The post is tenable from April 1, 2014 (earlier start negotiable) until September 30, 2016. The newly appointed colleague will join the team of the Max Planck Research Group "Art and Knowledge in Premodern Europe, " (Director: Prof. Dr. Sven Dupré).

Candidates with experience in academic management and editorial tasks in a university, research institute or academic publishing environment, a working knowledge of German and excellent written and spoken English are invited to apply: native English speaker preferred. We are seeking a colleague with a genuine interest in academic work and basic historical knowledge. Candidates are expected to have comprehensive digital literacy (EndNote, Zotero, PhotoShop and Office), internet skills and the ability to work in a team and to contribute to collegiality.

Job profile:

The set up and day to day management of academic publication projects, articles, reviews, and edited volumes, to be executed by yourself with the support of a student assistant. Responsibilities include email correspondence with authors and publishers, proofreading, copy editing, formatting according to publishers style sheet, and the creation of shared bibliographies and indexes. In addition image research and acquisition of both digital files and permission to publish plays an important role.

Maintaining the web presence of the publication projects on the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science website rounds off your duties.

We offer A highly diversified and fascinating task in a family friendly and international atmosphere. Salary will be within the range of TVOD 10, bandwidth see http://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/c/t/rechner/tvoed/bund?id=tvoed-bund-2013; part time (50%).

Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting handicapped individuals and encourages them to apply.  Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Candidates are requested to upload a cover letter, curriculum vitae including references (Zeugnisse) and certificates of qualification on: https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mbwg/editiondupre_2014_02.nsf/application by Feb 24, 2014.

For questions concerning the Max Planck Research Group on Art and Knowledge in Pre-Modern Europe, please see here or contact Sven Dupré. For questions relating to the online application procedure please contact officedupre@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de.

For administrative questions concerning the position or the Institute, please contact Claudia Paaß, Head of Administration, or Jochen Schneider, Research Coordinator.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Berlin

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Department II (Prof. Lorraine Daston), announces one Postdoctoral fellowship for two years with possibility of renewal for a third year, starting date September 1, 2013.

The fellow will join the MPG Minerva Research Group “Reading and Writing Nature in Early Modern Europe” lead by Dr. Elaine Leong. The group is part of Department II at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and is connected to the project “The Sciences of the Archive.”

Further details concerning the project may be found at >http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/research/projects/MRGLeong/index_html.

We particularly welcome applicants whose research contributes to the working group project ‘Testing Drugs and Trying Cures in Early Modern Europe’
 (Project website).

Other possible topics include:

• Cultures (material, social and intellectual) of selecting, collecting, preserving, classifying, and transmitting knowledge and, in particular, notebooks and paper technologies 
• Histories of reading (e.g. investigations of reading practices and histories of book collections and libraries) 
• Histories of book production including publishing and print, scribal publication and translation practices. 

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is an international and interdisciplinary research institute (http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/en/index.html). The colloquium language is English; it is expected that candidates will be able to present their own work and discuss that of others fluently in that language. Candidates should hold a doctorate in the history of science, history of medicine or related field at the time the fellowship begins.

Outstanding junior scholars are invited to apply. Fellowships are endowed with a monthly stipend between 2.100 € and 2.500 € (fellows from abroad) or between 1.468 € and 1.621 € (fellows from Germany). Candidates of all nationalities are welcomed to apply; applications from women are especially welcomed. The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting more handicapped individuals and encourages them to apply.

Applications should be submitted in English. Candidates are requested to send a curriculum vitae, publication list, research prospectus (maximum 750 words), a sample text, and two letters of recommendation no later than January 15, 2013 to:

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Administration, PD-II-Minerva
Boltzmannstr. 22
14195 Berlin, Germany

Electronic submission is also possible: rheld@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de. For questions concerning the research project and Department II, please contact Dr. Elaine Leong (eleong@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de); for administrative questions concerning the position and the Institute, please contact Claudia Paaß (paass@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de), Head of Administration, or Jochen Schneider (jsr@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de), Research Coordinator.

Call for Papers: Perspective as Practice

An international conference on the circulation of optical knowledge in and outside the workshop - October 12-13, 2012, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

Organizers: Sven Dupré, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin & Jeanne Peiffer, Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris

We invite proposals from scholars in the history of science and technology, the history of art, technical art history and conservation science and other related disciplines for an international conference on the production and circulation of optical knowledge in workshop and design practices of the visual and decorative arts and (garden) architecture between the fourteenth and seventeenth century.

This conference addresses both the practical optical knowledge produced in the context of artists’ workshops and artists’ appropriation and use of the science of optics (perspectiva), which included questions of psychology, physiology, anatomy, physics, and mathematics, for the production of art and architecture, including gardens. We welcome, in particular, papers which discuss the material practices of artists (as diverse as gardeners and goldsmiths) in imitating and representing the effects of light, creating the illusion of space and the shaping of landscape (from the use of paper and other instruments, also on real sites, to experimentation with the optical qualities of pigments and binding media). Equally welcome are papers which throw light on artists’ reading of texts on optics and their possible use in the context of the workshop.

We see this conference as a correction to the ways in which Erwin Panofsky’s "Perspective as Symbolic Form" – written more than 80 years ago – has shaped the historiography of perspective up until the present day, despite more recent important interventions by a.o. James Elkins and Hans Belting). Therefore, instead of seeking connections with worldviews and philosophies of space, this conference takes into account the polysemy of perspective associated with the practice of perspective. The conference will bring out the variety of uses and different meanings of perspectiva – during the period between 1300 and 1700 and across different sites of artists’ appropriations of optical knowledge. By situating artists’ optical knowledge in workshop and design practices, we anticipate that the conference papers will be attentive to a variety of constructions that create the illusion of space, and pay as much attention to other types of optical knowledge as to the geometry of perspective. We especially welcome innovative approaches to the study of the circulation of optical knowledge within the artist’s workshop.

Invited speakers:
Marjolijn Bol (Utrecht), Filippo Camerota (Florence), Georges Farhat (Toronto), Francesca Fiorani (Virginia), Elaheh Kheirandish (Harvard), Dominique Raynaud (Grenoble), Pietro Roccasecca (Rome)

Submission guidelines:
Deadline for proposals: March 15, 2012

Please submit a 300-words abstract as e-mail attachment along with your name, institutional affiliation and email address to officedupre@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de.

Please indicate in the subject line of your message: submission optics workshop.

Sekretariat Dupré
Max Planck Research Group
Art and Knowledge in Premodern Europe
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Boltzmannstraße 22
14195 BERLIN

officedupre@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de