Kapil Raj (Research Professor of History of science at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris and currently visiting professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Shiv Nadar University) will present his research entitled ‘Go-Betweens in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Science Studies’ at the Sociological Research Colloquium.
When: Friday, 29th March 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Seminar Room (First Floor), Department of Sociology, University of Delhi
Convenor: Shashi Bhushan Singh
Abstract
This talk traces the variety of approaches on the subject adopted by cultural and social historians, and anthropologists, drawn from the theoretical reflections of classical sociologists, especially Georg Simmel. It then tackles the subject of go-betweens in the world of knowledge and science through the way they have been problematized in recent work in the history of science and the resulting change in the narrative from one of an agonistic “clash of cultures” to that of actively constructed connections. It concludes with the presentation of a concrete historical example from the late seventeenth century to show the decisive role of intermediation in the construction of knowledge in intercultural contexts, leading to some reflections on the continuing importance of go-betweens in understanding constructive intercultural and interdisciplinary encounters in our present-day world.
Other Research Colloquiums
- FRIDAY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: 3:00pm 3rd February 2023. Irfanullah Farooqui: When a poet insists he is not one: Reflections in the light of Muhammad Iqbal’s letters.
- FRIDAY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: 3:00pm 2nd December 2022. Anuja Agrawal: Beyond Agency vs. Victimhood: Making Sociological Sense of ‘Sex Work’.
- FRIDAY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: 3:00pm 25th November 2022. Aditya Bhattacharjea: Labour Market Flexibility in Indian Industry: A Sceptical View.
- FRIDAY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: 3:00pm 18th November 2022. N. Sukumar: Caste Discrimination in Indian Universities.
- FRIDAY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: 3:00pm 11th November 2022. Amita Baviskar: Living with Heat: Bodies and Persons in Urban India’s Changing Climate.