This lecture by Dr. Dagmar Schäfer (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science) invites global historians (and others) to recalibrate the wheel of time by shifting the focus from space to time, thus moving away from the practice of using temporal markers of periodisation as the starting point for comparative regional or intercultural analysis. Instead, it proposes comparing similar technological phenomena across different regions during different—that is, asynchronic—time periods. Through a case study that compares silk reeling in early 14th-century Yuan China and Renaissance Italy at the turn of the 16th century, the lecture opens up a view of historical pluriverses, where cultural narratives, material temporalities, and evolution become key factors in shaping global connections, technological change and our perceptions of them. RSVP here! RSVPs appreciated but not required. 

This talk is hosted by the World History Center and the Department of Classics.