RCCHC "Science, Technology, Society and Culture" Talk Series #10 – Multispecies Histories: Possibilities and Challenges

This talk considers the approach or interpretive framework of “multispecies history” in the history of science and related fields. As animal history is gaining popularity among historians of science, much of recent research in the field has moved to examine the multiple, often active, roles animals have played in the development of modern science. However, is it desirable or feasible to go one step further and consider the interrelationships among organisms of many kinds – not only animals, but also plants, fungi, and microbes – in science? What is to be gained through this approach? What are the limitations and challenges? What are the possibilities? This talk will explore these questions with historical and methodological examples.