Report on 7th STEP meeting (Galway, 2010), by Chris Laursen, for BSHS Viewpoint 93 (Oct. 2010)

These are extracts of Laursen's article. Registered users can find the complete article in the attachment below.

"Over the past eleven years, a group of European scholars have sought to challenge notions of centre-periphery on the continent and highlight the history of science as it circulates within and between under-represented countries such as Spain, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary and Turkey"

"Fyfe says that lrish historians have struggled to distinguish their country's history from Britain's [...]. 'Much of the work done seems to be implicitly underlined by a desire to rescue lrish science from the British shadow by demonstrating that lreland really did have some eminent scientists', she says. 'Those of us who are trying to develop a more sophisticated historiographical approach to history of science in lreland felt that the STEP model might be a way forward: rather than always seeing lreland as an underdog compared to Britain, it might be more fruitful to see the many similarities between lreland and other small European countries - peripheral or not'".

"European universities such as those in Athens, Lisbon, Barcelona, Valencia and Aarhus have created significant history of science studies which have both facilitated STEP and benefitted from its activities."

"ln response to the prevailing nationalized histories of science STEP's research efforts are aiming to bolster transnational studies of HSTM in a global context, one in which underrepresented, countries will hopefully become more visible."