Towards a material and spatial history of knowledge production: an introduction

Abstract

"In the history of science and knowledge, materiality and space have until now frequently been studied separately. This introduction to the HSR Focus 'Spaces-Objects-Knowledge' argues that approaches that combine these aspects offer new perspectives on processes of knowledge production. Knowledge is produced, this introduction argues, in the interaction of humans, objects, and the spaces they are situated in. The tie that brings these elements together is the notion of practice. Three exemplary constellations in which humans, objects, and spaces are brought into interplay are discussed: objects producing spaces, objects circulating through different spaces, and musealized objects." (author's abstract)