David A. Hounshell

The History of Technology in the History of Science: A Survey of Isis and the History of Science Society’s Annual Programs

The history of technology has been problematic for the formal study of the history of science since George Sarton, commonly recognized as the founder of the field of the history of science. In my allotted time, I will present and analyze data that I have gathered from the History of Science Society’s journal, Isis, and its annual programs, which I argue are a reflection of how the field has conceived of and interpreted the history of technology. Inevitably, such a survey encounters the issue of how historians have understood and interpreted the fundamental relationship between science and technology. I will not, however, recount or seek to re-interpret the extensive scholarly debates about this relationship. My focus will be which technologies historians of science have considered over time and what interpretive frameworks they have used in their scholarship.