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For many of us, living in lockdown brought new life to houseplants, reacquainting us with the ancient link between plants and society across the ages. As well keeping us company, plants have enabled written human history. But who decides which stories of science are told? This evening we will come face to face with the gatekeepers of science history, and delve into the inequalities of discovery.
Houseplants and Humans in the Covid-19 Pandemic
Dr Giulia Carabelli
(Lecturer in Sociology (Social Theory))
This talk is about the social dynamics of households shared by humans and indoor plants. I start by discussing how houseplants became important during the pandemic drawing on the results of my ongoing research “Care for Plants”. My goal is to reflect on how social isolation made humans re-discover plants as companions at a time of heightened uncertainty. I ask whether this experience of life with houseplants was transformative and how. What did humans learn from plants? And is this new appreciation for plants enough to reconsider the roles of non-human being in building our common future?
Laboratories and Libraries: A History of the Relationship Between Literature and Science
Kimberly Glassman
(PhD student)
Who decides what gets written into our scientific textbooks, and how? There exists a long and fascinating history of scientific literature that, when unpacked, reveals the deep, dark, and intricate networks of decisions – both of inclusion and exclusion – that lead to institutional and societal inequalities defined, enforced, and challenged by the people behind the science.
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