ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Transformations in the Historiography of Physics and Astronomy? Canonical Narratives and the Representation of Female Physicists and Astronomers (1950-1999)

• In Event: Shifting Perspectives: Diversity, Geographies, and Possibilities in the Physical Sciences (no 1)

English Abstract

Although female physicists and astronomers have received increasing attention in the historiography of physics and astronomy since the second half of the 20th century, they have often remained marginalised figures. My work examines the representation of these women in selected German- and English-language overviews of the history of physics and astronomy, and how this representation has evolved in the context of the women's movement and women's and gender studies. This analysis is based on an empirical study of approximately 150 publications from 1950 to 1999. The focus is on analysing how the exclusion or inclusion of female scientists has shaped canonical narratives of the history of physics and astronomy. It also examines the portrayal of female physicists and astronomers and the constructions of masculinity and femininity conveyed through these representations. Additionally, the historiographical methodology used by the authors, who are historians, physicists, and astronomers, is analysed. This includes the questions they pose, their theoretical approaches, their selection of sources, and their critical reflection. Overall, the work aims to reconstruct the role of female physicists and astronomers in historiography and to trace how canonical narratives have been influenced by changing representations of women in the historiography of physics and astronomy.

Author

• Colleen Seidel, University of Wuppertal