Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop - ND XVI June 11-14, 2025

Workshop Theme:

Visual practices in the production and transmission of astronomical knowledge

Visual practices are deeply intertwined with the production and transmission of astronomical knowledge. Visual features of texts and other materials take multiple forms, such as systems of numerical notation, hand-drawn geometric figures and illustrations, printed tables and charts of data, schematics of tools and instruments, high-resolution photographs and video, dynamic computer simulations, and even augmented-reality. Such material is often associated with the transmission of knowledge, but just as important was the epistemic role of visual reasoning and representations as historical actors collected information, raised questions, and developed theories to understand and explain astronomical phenomena. How were texts, images, and tables co-produced, and how did they interact to produce and transmit knowledge? What aspects of the visual layout and structure of a document were contingent upon the medium in which it was produced, or derived from the techniques and tools used to create it? What aims or functions were assigned to diagrams and other images, and what mental and material mechanisms allowed them to fulfill these purposes? How did certain visual practices or representations transform over time, and what was their relationship with changing practices of observation, experimentation, teaching, or computing? Attention to these and other visual practices provides a means for historians to gain insights into the development and dissemination of astronomy and related disciplines, and we welcome papers exploring similar topics within and across different time periods, geographic regions, and cultural contexts.

Call for Proposals

We will accept proposals for both papers and sessions.

Single papers will probably have to be 15–20 minutes in length, depending upon the number of submissions. Posters for display and discussion are also an option.

Organized sessions, with multiple papers addressing a particular question or topic, can contain papers of longer length, but must incorporate significant time for discussion. Proposals that directly address the workshop theme (see above) will receive preferential treatment, and proposals from graduate students and recent PhDs are especially welcomed.

Proposals for papers or posters should include a title and a one-paragraph abstract; session proposals should identify all presenters as well as titles and one-paragraph abstracts for each presenter.

All proposals should be submitted by February 1, 2025, to https://bit.ly/ndxvi-submit. Submissions will be shared with the review committee (listed online). Final decisions on paper and session acceptance will be announced around March 1. All presenters will be expected to register for the workshop and pay the registration fee.

Questions regarding the workshop may be addressed to Sarah J. Reynolds at reynoldssj@uindy.edu or the local organizer Matthew Dowd at mdowd1@nd.edu.

Call for proposals: NDXVI Workshop CFP.pdf

Workshop flyer as PDF file - please post and circulate.

Acknowledgments: Generous support for the workshop is provided by the Graduate Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts (ISLA), the College of Science’s Nieuwland Lecture Series, the College of Arts and Letters, the Department of Physics of the University of Notre Dame, and the Program of Liberal Studies of the University of Notre Dame, and the Adler Planetarium.