Knowledge, power or economic resources: what paves the way for the "public good"? Professor William Cavert's Special Issue article investigates "how natural knowledge could be harnessed by the state and applied to productivity" in 18th century England: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view....

"For Grew, and for his contemporaries...that which could not be counted (joy? community? stress? virtue? love?) mattered as little as the punishments which would be required to force people to improve themselves." Our latest blog post from @williamcavert.bsky.social 👇

When did discussions of “the economy” begin, and why? In our latest blog post @williamcavert.bsky.social takes us to 18th-century England to explore the "improvement" literature of the time👇

"The Improvement Police," my article on a scheme, c. 1700, to force people to use new scientific knowledge to make their government rich, is out in a fantastic issue on Projects, edited by @tedmccormick.bsky.social, Vera Keller, and Kelly Whitmer. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

I have a new paper out in @jhokjournal.bsky.social - "Loss: A notion of error in machine learning." It attempts to draw some wider historical comparisons than are perhaps usual. I would love to know what you think. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

New blog post! "Perfectly crystalline, geometric, and apparently rational, this tiny object radiates power captured from the mighty rivers dammed throughout the Pacific Northwest and in the streams of capital pouring out of the nation’s financial center." Vera Keller on Projects & Great Designs 👇

"While established systems safeguard journal articles, books, and research data, no comparable infrastructures exist for scholarly blogs. As a result, an essential part of academic communication risks slipping out of the historical record..." The case for preserving scholarly blogs 👇

"Instead of the projector, perhaps the time has now come to blame projecting itself — or at least to approach it more critically." @whitmerkelly.bsky.social reflects on the ubiquitous category of the "project" in today's world, and what we can learn from attitudes in 18th-century Germany.

A very engaging read!

New blog post alert! @whitmerkelly.bsky.social tell us what we can learn from attitudes towards projects and 'project-making' in the 18th-century German lands #histknow

In the early 18th century, German-speaking planners placed work as a precondition for helping young people reach happiness. What role could institutions play to facilitate this pursuit? Read more from Professor Kelly Whitmer's full Special Issue article: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

"Researching unrealized projects of the past like Atlantropa and the Panatomic Canal is far from trivial. Contrary to what a snooty historian once told me at a conference, it is not true that 'any one of us fools can study the history of failed projects!' " Read more in our latest blog post👇

"Researching unrealized projects of the past like Atlantropa and the Panatomic Canal is far from trivial. Contrary to what a snooty historian once told me at a conference, it is not true that 'any one of us fools can study the history of failed projects!' " Read more in our latest blog post👇

New blog post alert! Christine Keiner writes about how a chance find in Panama inspired her recent research on the so-called "Panatomic Canal".

How did Peaceful Nuclear Explosives (PNEs) inspire infrastructure engineering during the Cold War, and how did they interact with the knowledge of indigenous communities in Panama? Check out Professor Christine Keiner's insightful Special Issue article: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view....

"As cities around the world grapple with ways to mitigate the effects of our own climate crisis, we will face new challenges, not least learning how to bring the ambitions our moment demands down to the ground" Keith Pluymers reflects on the quiet, everyday tasks that have long kept cities running

"As cities around the world grapple with ways to mitigate the effects of our own climate crisis, we will face new challenges, not least learning how to bring the ambitions our moment demands down to the ground" Keith Pluymers reflects on the quiet, everyday tasks that have long kept cities running

New blog post alert! Keith Pluymers writes about the quiet heroes who helped keep Philadelphia’s streets free of floods and filth in the eighteenth century.

New blog post alert! Keith Pluymers writes about the quiet heroes who helped keep Philadelphia’s streets free of floods and filth in the eighteenth century.

The 2nd History of Knowledge Conference in Lund was fantastic, and I look forward to contributing to make the History of Knowledge Conference a tradition by organizing it in Utrecht, home of @jhokjournal.bsky.social, in 2027. More soon!

How could flooding a city promote urban prosperity and citizens' happiness? Professor Keith Pluymers' Special Issue article investigates Philadelphia's planning challenges to fight yellow fever and adapt hydrological knowledge to the city's landscape. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

What do early modern policy design projects tell us about the role of individual experts in shaping national goals? Professor Vera Keller's Special Issue article presents the story of Sir Balthazar Gerbier to uncover the shifting nature of Great Designs. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

What could projecting plans in West Africa learn from local agricultural knowledge, and why were they unable to build on it? Professor Kathleen Murphy's Special Issue article looks at indigo and nutmeg production in the area to investigate these dynamics. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

How was natural history used to map and redraw Ireland’s geographical and colonial features? Professor Ted McCormick’s Special Issue article brings new attention to early modern expropriation projects. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

"The arguments forwarded in Hints, shared by proponents as well as certain opponents of slavery alike, are a reminder that biopolitical power and projects are necessarily hierarchizing." Meagan Wierda writes about her encounter with a revealing 19th century pamphlet during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The arguments forwarded in Hints, shared by proponents as well as certain opponents of slavery alike, are a reminder that biopolitical power and projects are necessarily hierarchizing." Meagan Wierda writes about her encounter with a revealing 19th century pamphlet during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New blog post alert! Meagan Wierda writes about the background to her recent JHoK article, and how the COVID-19 pandemic led her to a revealing nineteenth-century pamphlet.

New blog post alert! Meagan Wierda writes about the background to her recent JHoK article, and how the COVID-19 pandemic led her to a revealing nineteenth-century pamphlet.

Very happy to announce that the @jhokjournal.bsky.social special issue "Knowledge and Power: Projecting the Modern World," edited by Vera Keller, Kelly Whitmer, and me, is starting to be published: the first three articles are here, the rest to follow. journalhistoryknowledge.org/Knowledge_an...

How can epistemic violence reframe the impact of US demography projects in 19th century West Africa and its consequences for African Americans? In the first article of the 2025 Special Issue, Professor Megan Wierda sheds new light on the colonial past. journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

📣 We are pleased to announce the upcoming Special Issue "Knowledge and Power: Projecting the Modern World" with guest editors Vera Keller, Ted McCormick, and Kelly Whitmer. 📚 Articles will be made accessible online in the next weeks. More information: journalhistoryknowledge.org/announcement....

"Dreams of a shared world give way to a more fragmented worldview in which solidarity is reserved for the geographically, culturally, or emotionally proximate." Find out what happened to the post-war global imaginary in our latest blog post from @bjornlundberg.bsky.social

"Dreams of a shared world give way to a more fragmented worldview in which solidarity is reserved for the geographically, culturally, or emotionally proximate." Find out what happened to the post-war global imaginary in our latest blog post from @bjornlundberg.bsky.social

Vacancy: Editor-in-chief💼 JHoK seeks a new co-editor-in-chief affiliated to a Belgian or Dutch institution to join Professor Sven Dupré. Deadline to submit your job application: 26 September, 2025. More information on the application process: journalhistoryknowledge.org/announcement...

Ever wondered what happened to the post-war global imaginary, the idea of a united and more equitable world? Find out in our latest blog post from @bjornlundberg.bsky.social!

📣 Call for papers! 📣 The 9th Biennial Conference of the European Architectural History Network will take place at Aarhus University between 17-21 June 2026. Submit your 300-word abstract and all the relevant information by 19 September 2025. More information here: konferencer.au.dk/eahn26

Ever wondered what happened to the post-war global imaginary, the idea of a united and more equitable world? Find out in our latest blog post from @bjornlundberg.bsky.social!

📣 Job opportunity! 📣 🏛️ Lund University is looking for an international researcher to build and lead a research group in the field of Global History of Knowledge. ⏳ Last application date: 17 August, 2025. 🔗 For more information about this excellent opportunity, see: lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

Job opportunity! Before Copyright (BE4COPY) project is looking for a Data Entry Specialist (student). More information on how to apply in the document below, but first: go check out the project's webpage! www.hf.uio.no/iakh/english...

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Journal for the History of Knowledge is now receiving proposals for the Special Issue 2027. The proposal deadline is 1 May 2025. All information is available on our website: journalhistoryknowledge.org/announcement...

JOB ADVERTISEMENT: JHoK has a job opening for a blog editor who will join the editorial team on February 1, 2025. This is a voluntary job, and JHoK is unable to offer remuneration. The application deadline is January 10, 2025. Find out everything here: journalhistoryknowledge.org/announcement...

How do geohumanities scholars and digital mapmakers deal with uncertainty, with respect to their historical counterparts? In our recently published Special Issue, Dr. Rombert Stapel reflects on the necessary steps to bridge knowledge gaps: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

How do digital humanities tools and GIS maps help us reconstruct practical knowledge of the map-painting business? In our recently published Special Issue, Dr. Weixuan Li's article looks into creative practices in early modern Amsterdam: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

Exciting news! JHoK is now on LinkedIn (@Journal for the History of Knowledge), right alongside X and Bluesky. Stay connected with us for the latest updates and discussions on our platforms! @Journal for the History of Knowledge

What does the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods tell us about the epistemic values of early modern cartographers? Find out about Gerhard Mercator's emblematic case in our recently published Special Issue article by Danielle Gravon: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

How may blank spaces, uncharted unknowns, represent something exceptional and unique? If you ever lost yourself staring into a (map's) void, read our latest blogpost article by Petter Hellström: blog.journalhistoryknowledge.org/2024/10/21/2...

"If cartography is an act of mapping knowledge, how do cartographers deal with uncertainty?" Read more in our latest blogpost by Special Issue's guest editor Djoeke van Netten, and find out about uncertainty's pivotal role in the history of knowledge: blog.journalhistoryknowledge.org/2024/10/21/c...

What would you argue to be interesting, and therefore worth to be represented on a map? Discover about metropolitan Dutch and colonial Cape mapmakers' diverging views in our recently published Special Issue article by Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

What if cartographers decided to remove from maps long-held ideas about the African continent? Learn more about Enlightenment scholars and their relationship with the unknown in our latest article by Dr. Petter Hellström: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...

How to warn readers on the boundaries of your own knowledge, if you were an early modern cartographer? Find out more on the strategies to tackle this conundrum in our recently published Special Issue article by Chet Van Duzer: journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...