History and Sociology of the Social Sciences and the Humanities:
Boundaries, Persona and Knowledge Circulation
7.5 credits, pace of study 50%, weeks 3–12, Spring Term 2024, Uppsala University

What?
The course is a combined Master’s level and PhD course, organised by the Department of History
of Science and Ideas. The course provides an overview and advanced introduction to recent
research on the history and sociology of the social sciences and humanities (SSH), in Sweden and
internationally, from the early 20th century to the present day. Particular conceptual focus is
placed on the boundaries and circulation of SSH knowledge, as well as the changing roles and
personae of SSH researchers.

Why?
By examining the historical developments of the social sciences and the humanities in social
context, and by introducing a set of conceptual tools, the aim of the course is to encourage a
contextual and reflexive understanding of the varying roles and uses of social scientific and
humanities knowledge and what it means to be a researcher in these disciplines.
For whom?
The course is primarily aimed for master and PhD students in the humanities and the social
sciences at Uppsala University, but is also open to interested participants from other universities.

When?
The course runs during the first half of the spring term 2024, in the weeks 3–12, on part-time
50%, with one session per week (detailed schedule TBA).

Where?
All sessions take place on site, in the English Park Campus in Uppsala.

How?
The course is structured around four thematic modules, each of which combines an overview
lecture with an in-depth seminar based on a number of selected key texts and case studies.

• Course introduction (week 3)
• Theme I: The social sciences and humanities as a field in the early 20th century (weeks 4-5)
• Theme II: The welfare state humanities and the postwar formation of personae (weeks 6-7)
• Theme III: Cold War Social Science and its boundaries (weeks 8-9)
• Theme IV: Global SSH (weeks 10-11)
• Final seminar (week 12)

Language?
All lectures and seminars are held in English.

Examination?
The examination consists of two parts. All participants are expected to contribute actively to the
discussions at the compulsory seminars. The participants will write an individual essay to be
orally presented at the final seminar. The requirements of the final essays will be adjusted to
whether the course is taken as a Master’s or PhD course.

By whom?
The team of lecturers include:
Per Wisselgren (course coordinator)
Tobias Dalberg
Johan Heilbron
Hampus Östh Gustafsson

Literature?
General reference literature to be used – all available online – include:
Ekström, Anders & Östh Gustafsson, Hampus (eds) The Humanities and the Modern Politics of
Knowledge: The Impact and Organization of the Humanities in Sweden, 1850-2020
(Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2022).
Fleck, Christian, Duller, Matthias & Karády, Victor (eds) Shaping Human Science Disciplines:
Institutional Developments in Europe and Beyond (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).
Heilbron, Johan, Sorá, Gustavo & Boncourt, Thibaud (eds.) The Social and Human Sciences in
Global Power Relations (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2018).
McCallum, David (ed.) The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences (Basingstoke:
Springer Nature Singapore, 2022).
Niskanen, Kirsti & Barany, Michael J. (eds) Gender, Embodiment, and the History of the Scholarly
Persona: Incarnations and Contestations (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
Porter, Theodore M. & Ross, Dorothy (eds.) The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 7. The
Modern Social Sciences (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
Solovey, Mark & Dayé, Christian (eds) Cold War Social Science: Transnational Entanglements
(Cham : Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
Östling, Johan, Sandmo, Erling, Larsson Heidenblad, David, Nilsson Hammar, Anna & Nordberg
Kari (eds) Circulation of Knowledge: Explorations in the History of Knowledge (Lund: Nordic
Academic Press, 2018).
Detailed information about which chapters to be read in relation to the lectures and seminars
will be announced in the schedule. Separate articles may be added.

Questions?
Please see the course syllabus or contact the course coordinator Per Wisselgren
(per.wisselgren@idehist.uu.se or phone 018- 4711577).

Apply?
To apply for the course as a Master’s student, please register (code UU-01409) at antagning.se or
contact the course administrator: info@idehist.uu.se. As a PhD student, please write directly to
the course coordinator (per.wisselgren@idehist.uu.se).

Welcome!