Paul Tannery et Joseph Needham deux plaidoyers pour une histoire générale des sciences

Whereas, under the influence of Comte's endeavour, they both present global histories of science, in fact, Paul Tannery and Joseph Needham use distinct historiographical frameworks. Tannery grounds his general history on the notion of civilisation, of which science is a component. The methodological tool he uses to highlight the salient features that characterise a given civilisation at a given time as regards science is synthesis. Needham takes modern science as his starting point, and aims at bringing to light that it was constituted by a synthesis of the contributions of different traditions. For him, the shaping of this modern knowledge proceeded from a continuous effort that, in turn, was carried out by the various groups composing mankind. In contrast, Tannery is preoccupied by ruptures and crises, which can cause the disappearance of entire domains of knowledge, but also intense periods of creation. What is conventionally called the «scientific revolution» thus takes a very different meaning for the two historians.     

Gender Goes Global: Women's Lives in Transnational Perspective

Archaeologists are often remiss in publishing the results of their field excavations in a timely manner. Stanley South is one of the few archaeologists who have actually fulfilled their vow to write up or revise projects done in past decades. The early fieldwork of South, a seminal figure in historical archaeology, served as the basis for his important theoretical contributions. The publication of this early work allows scholars to examine the raw data supporting his theories and South to ease his conscience.     

Landscapes of women and men: rethinking the regional historical geography of the United States and Canada

This paper proceeds from the premise that historical geographers are not prejudiced against women, but many are unsure how to incorporate information on women into their research. The result unfortunately is a historical landscape in which only half of the residents normally are visible, despite many models of regional studies published in women's history. Historical geographers of rural Canada and the United States are to some extent limited by their frequent use of one narrative form, the national epic, that cannot readily portray women as important actors unless its essential plot line is reinterpreted in ways less familiar to geographers. Taking the examples of three western frontier women, I discuss how their narratives indicate ways to give a more balanced impression of both women and men in studies of regional economies and landscape modification. Incorporating female experience is likely to change some fundamental assumptions about the historical geography of the United States and Canada.