Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Knowledge Actors : Revisiting Agency in the History of Knowledge

Östling, Johan LU orcid ; Larsson Heidenblad, David LU and Nilsson Hammar, Anna LU (2023)
Abstract
Historical actors are central to the history of knowledge as they are to all historical scholarship. Every country, every era has its biographies of eminent scientists, intellectuals, and educational reformers. Yet the theoretical currents that have left their mark on the historical and sociological study of knowledge since the 1960s have emphasized structures over actors, collectives over individuals.

Knowledge Actors instead stresses the importance of historical actors and re-engages with their actions from fresh perspectives. This volume thus fosters a larger discussion among historians about the role of knowledge actors. Do we want individuals and networks to take centre stage in our historical narratives? And if so, which... (More)
Historical actors are central to the history of knowledge as they are to all historical scholarship. Every country, every era has its biographies of eminent scientists, intellectuals, and educational reformers. Yet the theoretical currents that have left their mark on the historical and sociological study of knowledge since the 1960s have emphasized structures over actors, collectives over individuals.

Knowledge Actors instead stresses the importance of historical actors and re-engages with their actions from fresh perspectives. This volume thus fosters a larger discussion among historians about the role of knowledge actors. Do we want individuals and networks to take centre stage in our historical narratives? And if so, which knowledge actors do we want to highlight and how best to conduct our research? What are the potential pitfalls of following an actor-centric path?

This is the third of three volumes about the history of knowledge from the Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge (LUCK). The two other books are Forms of Knowledge and Circulation of Knowledge. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Historiska aktörer är långt ifrån frånvarande i historieforskningen. Varje land och varje tidsepok har sin beskärda del av biografier över framstående vetenskapsmän, intellektuella och utbildningsreformatorer. Trots detta är det inte fel att hävda att de teoretiska strömningar som har satt sin prägel på historiska och sociologiska studier av kunskap sedan 1960-talet har betonat strukturer framför aktörer, kollektiv framför individer. I den här boken framhävs däremot de historiska aktörernas betydelse och deras handlingar behandlas ur nya perspektiv.

Det övergripande målet med den här volymen är att stimulera till en större diskussion bland kunskapshistoriker om aktörernas roll. Kan individer och nätverk av människor stå i centrum... (More)
Historiska aktörer är långt ifrån frånvarande i historieforskningen. Varje land och varje tidsepok har sin beskärda del av biografier över framstående vetenskapsmän, intellektuella och utbildningsreformatorer. Trots detta är det inte fel att hävda att de teoretiska strömningar som har satt sin prägel på historiska och sociologiska studier av kunskap sedan 1960-talet har betonat strukturer framför aktörer, kollektiv framför individer. I den här boken framhävs däremot de historiska aktörernas betydelse och deras handlingar behandlas ur nya perspektiv.

Det övergripande målet med den här volymen är att stimulera till en större diskussion bland kunskapshistoriker om aktörernas roll. Kan individer och nätverk av människor stå i centrum för vår forskning? Och i så fall: vilka vill vi lyfta fram och hur ska vi analysera dem?

Knowledge Actors är den tredje boken i en trilogi om kunskapshistoria, framtagen vid Centrum för kunskapshistoria vid Lunds universitet (LUCK). De två andra böckerna är Forms of Knowledge och Circulation of Knowledge. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
editor
LU orcid ; LU and LU
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
history of knowledge, agency, historical actors, historiography
pages
283 pages
publisher
Nordic Academic Press
ISBN
9789189361652
project
Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b1de6466-f00f-40cf-83ab-8174e075886d
date added to LUP
2023-07-13 14:21:23
date last changed
2023-07-15 02:50:38
@book{b1de6466-f00f-40cf-83ab-8174e075886d,
  abstract     = {{Historical actors are central to the history of knowledge as they are to all historical scholarship. Every country, every era has its biographies of eminent scientists, intellectuals, and educational reformers. Yet the theoretical currents that have left their mark on the historical and sociological study of knowledge since the 1960s have emphasized structures over actors, collectives over individuals.<br/><br/>Knowledge Actors instead stresses the importance of historical actors and re-engages with their actions from fresh perspectives. This volume thus fosters a larger discussion among historians about the role of knowledge actors. Do we want individuals and networks to take centre stage in our historical narratives? And if so, which knowledge actors do we want to highlight and how best to conduct our research? What are the potential pitfalls of following an actor-centric path?<br/><br/>This is the third of three volumes about the history of knowledge from the Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge (LUCK). The two other books are Forms of Knowledge and Circulation of Knowledge.}},
  editor       = {{Östling, Johan and Larsson Heidenblad, David and Nilsson Hammar, Anna}},
  isbn         = {{9789189361652}},
  keywords     = {{history of knowledge; agency; historical actors; historiography}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  note         = {{Book Editor}},
  publisher    = {{Nordic Academic Press}},
  title        = {{Knowledge Actors : Revisiting Agency in the History of Knowledge}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/152543329/Knowledge_Actors_OA.pdf}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}