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S4 Episode 9: Where is the global in the history of science?

In the ninth episode of season four, Dr Sarah Qidwai a historian of science at the University of York (UK) who researches science and Islam in the 19th century, and Dr Alexander Hall, an Assistant Professor at McMaster University in Canada who studies the history of biology and environmental science in popular media, discuss the importance of widening the scope of the history of science and religion. (This episode was recorded in September 2024)   This podcast is 30 minutes and 52 seconds long. The keywords associated with this episode are: global history history of science and religion science on popular media historiography You can learn more about Sarah and Alex’s work on global histories of science and religion, in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively, in the two edited collections which they discuss in the episode: Bernard Lightman and Sarah Qidwai (Eds), Evolutionary Theories and Religious Traditions: National, Transnational, and

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Call for Papers: The International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society, 3rd Annual Conference

University of Birmingham and Online (hybrid conference) 13-15 July 2022 Bursaries and honoraria to support participation, whether in-person or online are available, see below for more. The International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society has been at the centre of the recent significant growth in social scientific and humanities research focusing on science, religion, and belief in society. Following our successful online conference in 2021, this 3rd annual conference of the network will have a hybrid in-person and online format and will focus on the theme of crossing boundaries. As this field of research has grown it has engaged in myth busting popular perceptions and stereotypes about the relationship between science and religion, which treat both science and religious/spiritual populations as monolithic. To date, much of this foundational research has focused on North American contexts or debates. This conference seeks to build on this essential

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Call for Papers: STEMM and Belief in Diverse Contexts: Publics, Praxis, Policy & Pluralism

Update 16 March: Call for Papers is now closed. Online conference, 7-9 July 2021 In the last decade, there has been significant growth in social scientific and humanities research focusing on science, religion and belief in society. Greater attention is being paid to the varied ways in which perceptions of different aspects of STEMM subjects (science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics) have been, or are, influenced by religious and non-religious belief, identity, community and conflict in different geographical, cultural and historical contexts. As this field of research has grown it has engaged in myth busting popular perceptions and stereotypes about the relationship between science and religion, which treat both science and religious/spiritual populations as monolithic. To date, much of this foundational research has focused on North American contexts or debates. This conference seeks to build on this essential work and address future avenues for research within the social scientific and

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Episode 5: The Humanist Blockbuster and the Evolutionary Epic with Dr Alexander Hall

In this episode, we welcome Dr Alexander Hall, who discusses his research into the popular media representation of science and religion in the 20th century. Dr Hall is a historian of science and environmental historian. He is a member of the Science and Belief in Society management team, and you can read his Researcher Profile here. Alex introduces us to ways of presenting science which became common on television and radio over the second half of the 20th century, the ‘evolutionary epic’ and the ‘humanist blockbuster’: grand, sweeping stories about nature and evolution, that take us from the earliest moments of creation to now, and which in many ways echo religious creation myths. Alex helps us trace the history and development of these ways of presenting science, through influential figures such as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Julian Huxley, and the archetypal work of Jacob Bronowski, to help us understand where

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Call for Participants: STEMM & Belief in Diverse Contexts, Early Career Researcher Workshop

29-30 June, 2020, Stellenbosch, South Africa Organised by the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (INSBS) in association with the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. We invite expressions of interest to participate in the fully-funded, STEMM and Belief in Diverse Contexts Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop, which will take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 June 2020. The workshop, which will take place immediately prior to the conference STEMM and Belief in Diverse Contexts: Publics, Praxis, Policy and Pluralism (1-3 July), is aimed at any early career researcher whose work explores any social or cultural aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths or Medicine (STEMM) in relation to any religious, spiritual or non-religious tradition, position or worldview, including unbelief. The workshop is open to any researcher who holds a PhD in a

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