Shifting Perspectives: Plural Worlds, Contested Sciences
Edinburgh, Scotland
13–16 July 2026
University of Edinburgh

Deadline for Proposals: Friday 1 December 2025, 11:59 pm PST

The History of Science Society and the European Society for the History of Science are delighted to announce their first joint meeting will be held from 13–16 July 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the support of the British Society for the History of Science. Against the backdrop of a city steeped in Enlightenment legacy, scientific innovation, and their reestimation, this global gathering of our three communities will foster transnational collaboration and dialogue among historians of science, technology, and medicine. Edinburgh is a spectacular city, rich in history, culture and humanistic enquiry: join us, to reflect on the past while shaping the future of our discipline.

We look forward to your submissions! The following guidelines explain the available options for proposals in more detail.

Guidelines for Submissions

We invite proposals for:

• Individual contributed papers: A 15-20-minute standalone research presentation, focused on original, unpublished work. Accepted papers will be grouped by theme into 90-minute sessions organized by the Program Committee.
• Organized Sessions: A 90-minute session organized around a common theme, consisting of 3–4 speakers, presenting original, unpublished work; plus a chair. Organizers submit an abstract for the session as a whole and are responsible for ensuring all participant profiles and individual paper abstracts are submitted.
  
• Symposia: A group of two to four organized sessions on the same subject or theme by using the same title for the related symposia, ordered by number—for example, ‘History of Astrology 1’ and ‘History of Astrology 2’. Organizers submit the symposium as a whole (with each numbered part submitted as its own unique submission) and are responsible for ensuring all participant profiles and abstracts are submitted.
• Roundtables: 90-minute facilitated discussions on historiographical debates, professional issues, or broader cultural questions. Limited to 6 participants speaking briefly, with emphasis on audience interaction. Roundtable participants may not appear elsewhere as presenters.

Abstracts must be 2,000 characters or fewer (approximately 250 words). Submissions for organized sessions and symposia must include abstracts for the overarching session or sessions, as well as abstracts for individual papers. Roundtables require only one 2,000-character or fewer abstract, inclusive of brief observations of what each participant will address.

To support linguistic diversity and international accessibility, we welcome submissions in languages other than English. All such proposals must be accompanied by an English translation.

You may appear only once on the program as a presenter in a regular session or roundtable—i.e., as a speaker or commentator. However, you may also serve as a session organizer or chair (or both).

All participants must register. Failure to pay the registration fee by 1 June 2026 will result in removal from the program. 

Proposal Review Criteria

The Program Committee will assess submissions based on:

• Intellectual merit and originality
• Distinctiveness to ensure balance across themes and regions
• Non-duplication of speaker roles
• Diversity across career stages, geography, and institutional affiliation

We will accept as many strong proposals as space and scheduling permit. 

We look forward to gathering as an international community of scholars in Edinburgh in July 2026. Please join us in making this historic joint meeting a dynamic and inclusive forum for the exchange of ideas.

For questions, contact the Program Co-Chairs at: info@hssonline.org

Respectful Behaviour Policy

The ESHS, HSS and BSHS are committed to mutual respect and will strive to provide an environment for exchange that is free from bias and intimidation. The societies hope that this conference will be a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for everyone. We expect all speakers, attendees and organisers to treat others with respect and not to engage in behaviour that is discriminatory, intimidating, threatening, or harassing. Examples of inappropriate and unwelcome behaviours can be found in the Respectful Behavior Policy (available here) developed by HSS.