The Forum for History of Human Science usually sponsors one or more sessions at the annual meeting of the History of Science Society, where it also holds the annual business meeting, electing officers and announcing the FHHS prizes. The FHHS Newsletter records these activities and offers other information of interest to our members.
The next FHHS meeting will take place in Portland, Oregon, November 9-12, 2023.
The annual business meeting will take place on Friday, November 10, 2023 at 9 am. It will be followed by the FHHS annual Distinguished Lecturer in the Human Sciences. This year’s talk will be delivered by Wendy Chun (Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, Simon Fraser University), “How are you? The History of Sentiment Analysis, Worker Surveillance, and Internment Camps.”
FHHS will sponsor a session titled “Human and Social Sciences at the Computer Interface” on Thursday, November 9, 2023, 2:30 – 4:00 pm.
Report on FHHS at the HSS Virtual Meeting, October 10, 2020, “Dismantling White Supremacism,” an HSS Virtual Forum Open Discussion
Annual Distinguished Lecturer in the Human Sciences
November 18, 2022, Chicago, Illinois
Pablo F. Gomez, PhD, MD (Associate Professor of History and History of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison)
“Body Arithmetic: Facts, Quantification, and the Human in the Seventeenth Century Atlantic”
Thursday, November 18 ,2021
Alexandra Hui (Associate Professor of History, Mississippi State University)
“Functional Music and Affective Spaces: 100 Years of the Human Science of Background Music”
There was no Distinguished Lecturer in 2020 because of the truncated virtual HSS meeting.
Thursday, July 25, 2019, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Nelly Oudshoorn (Professor Emerita of Technology Dynamics and Healthcare, University of Twente)
“Technologies inside bodies: Rethinking human-machine relations”
Saturday, November 3, 2018, Seattle, WA
Alison Wylie (Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia)
“Histories of Science in and for Practice: Turning Points in Archaeology”
Saturday, November 11, 2017, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michelle Murphy (Professor of History and Women and Gender Studies, University of Toronto)
“Infrastructures of Not-Counting”
Saturday, November 5, 2016, Atlanta, GA
Robert J. Richards (Fishbein Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, University of Chicago)
“The Role of Biography in Intellectual History”
Saturday, November 31, 2015, San Francisco, CA
Ellen Herman (Professor of History and Faculty Director, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, University of Oregon)
“Autism, Between Risks and Rights”
Saturday, November 8, 2014, Chicago, IL
Ken Alder (Professor of History and Milton H. Wilson Professor in the Humanities, Northwestern University)
“Everyone’s Autobiography of Gertrude Stein”
Saturday, November 23, 2013, Boston, MA
Michael Sokal (Professor of History Emeritus, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
“Understanding Testing as Technology”
Saturday, November 17, 2012, San Diego, CA
Theodore M. Porter (Professor of History, University of California, Los Angeles)
“Funny Numbers”
Saturday, November 6, 2011, Cleveland, OH
Elizabeth Lunbeck (Nelson Tyrone, Jr. Professor of History and Professor of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University)
“Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Power: Charisma, Fascination, and Narcissism”
Saturday, 6 November 2010, Montreal, Quebec
Mary S. Morgan (Professor of History and Philosophy of Economics, London School of Economics and University of Amsterdam)
“Recognising Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors”
Saturday, 21 November 2009, Phoenix, AZ
Hamilton Cravens (Professor of History, Iowa State University)
“Imagining the Good Society: The Social Sciences in the American Past and Present”
Saturday, 8 November 2008, Pittsburgh PA
Henrika Kuklick (Professor of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania)
“Personal Equations: Reflections on the History of Fieldwork, with Special Reference to British Anthropology”
Saturday, 3 November 2007, Arlington VA
John C. Burnham (Professor of History, Emeritus, The Ohio State University)
“How Boundaries Dissolve in Writing Disciplinary Histories: The Exemplary, Agonizing Case of Accident Proneness (Unfallneigung)”
Saturday, 4 November 2006, Vancouver BC
Jill G. Morawski (Professor of Psychology, Wesleyan University)
“Experimenter, Heal Thyself! Relational Problems in the Psychological Laboratory”
Saturday, 5 November 5 2005, Minneapolis MN
George W. Stocking Jr. (Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, University of Chicago)
“Anthropology and Anthropologists after World War II”
Thursday, November 18 ,2021
Alexandra Hui (Associate Professor of History, Mississippi State University)
“Functional Music and Affective Spaces: 100 Years of the Human Science of Background Music”
There was no Distinguished Lecturer in 2020 because of the truncated virtual HSS meeting.
Thursday, July 25, 2019, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Nelly Oudshoorn (Professor Emerita of Technology Dynamics and Healthcare, University of Twente)
“Technologies inside bodies: Rethinking human-machine relations”
Saturday, November 3, 2018, Seattle, WA
Alison Wylie (Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia)
“Histories of Science in and for Practice: Turning Points in Archaeology”
Saturday, November 11, 2017, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michelle Murphy (Professor of History and Women and Gender Studies, University of Toronto)
“Infrastructures of Not-Counting”
Saturday, November 5, 2016, Atlanta, GA
Robert J. Richards (Fishbein Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, University of Chicago)
“The Role of Biography in Intellectual History”
Saturday, November 31, 2015, San Francisco, CA
Ellen Herman (Professor of History and Faculty Director, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, University of Oregon)
“Autism, Between Risks and Rights”
Saturday, November 8, 2014, Chicago, IL
Ken Alder (Professor of History and Milton H. Wilson Professor in the Humanities, Northwestern University)
“Everyone’s Autobiography of Gertrude Stein”
Saturday, November 23, 2013, Boston, MA
Michael Sokal (Professor of History Emeritus, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
“Understanding Testing as Technology”
Saturday, November 17, 2012, San Diego, CA
Theodore M. Porter (Professor of History, University of California, Los Angeles)
“Funny Numbers”
Saturday, November 6, 2011, Cleveland, OH
Elizabeth Lunbeck (Nelson Tyrone, Jr. Professor of History and Professor of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University)
“Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Power: Charisma, Fascination, and Narcissism”
Saturday, 6 November 2010, Montreal, Quebec
Mary S. Morgan (Professor of History and Philosophy of Economics, London School of Economics and University of Amsterdam)
“Recognising Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors”
Saturday, 21 November 2009, Phoenix, AZ
Hamilton Cravens (Professor of History, Iowa State University)
“Imagining the Good Society: The Social Sciences in the American Past and Present”
Saturday, 8 November 2008, Pittsburgh PA
Henrika Kuklick (Professor of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania)
“Personal Equations: Reflections on the History of Fieldwork, with Special Reference to British Anthropology”
Saturday, 3 November 2007, Arlington VA
John C. Burnham (Professor of History, Emeritus, The Ohio State University)
“How Boundaries Dissolve in Writing Disciplinary Histories: The Exemplary, Agonizing Case of Accident Proneness (Unfallneigung)”
Saturday, 4 November 2006, Vancouver BC
Jill G. Morawski (Professor of Psychology, Wesleyan University)
“Experimenter, Heal Thyself! Relational Problems in the Psychological Laboratory”
Saturday, 5 November 5 2005, Minneapolis MN
George W. Stocking Jr. (Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, University of Chicago)
“Anthropology and Anthropologists after World War II”