International Scholars Program

Each year the Society for the History of Technology designates up to four International Scholars for a two-year term. The International Scholars program is administered by the Internationalization Committee.

Background and Mission

In 1992 the Society for the History of Technology inaugurated the International Scholars program with these goals:

1. Foster a stronger international community for the study of the history of technology
2. Strengthen the society’s role as an international society for the history of technology
3. Identify and help non-U.S. historians of technology participate in the meetings and governance of the Society
4. Provide formal recognition for the work of non-U.S. historians of technology so that their respective governments and national academic communities might provide greater support for their society-related activities
5. Afford special recognition for younger, non-U.S. scholars as they begin their careers in the history of technology
6. Foster an international network of scholars in the history of technology that will benefit all members of the society

Western New World or Hemisphere, by William Faden, [1786]. Source: Library of Congress.

 Eligibility and Selection Process

To become a SHOT International Scholar, you must reside and work in underrepresented countries at the time of selection. Graduate students, post-docs, and visiting scholars who are living and working in the United States or Western Europe are not eligible to become International Scholars; however, they are eligible to apply once they return to their home countries. Of these potential candidates, anyone at any rank, from graduate student up through senior scholar, is eligible to become an International Scholar.

Individuals may be nominated as International Scholars by any member of the Society, and we also encourage self-nomination. To nominate yourself or someone else as an International Scholar, please send a letter and a brief curriculum vitae to EACH member of the Internationalization Committee (see list of current committee members further down this page) and to SHOT secretary Jan Korsten at [email protected]. In the letter, please:

• describe your goals in becoming a SHOT International Scholar,
• address the current state of the history of technology in your home country and home institution,
• state how your position as a SHOT International Scholar will benefit the study of the history of technology in your home country, and
• suggest what insights your research can bring to the SHOT community.

At the beginning of each year a call will be sent out to recruit new International Scholars. The deadline for next year’s nominations is 30 September 2020. In consultation with the President and Secretary, and in accordance with criteria established by the Executive Committee, SHOT’s Internationalization Committee shall be responsible for the selection of the International Scholars, with the selection to be approved by SHOT’s Executive Council.

Benefits and Support

International Scholars shall receive regular SHOT membership at no cost during their two-year term. At each annual meeting, SHOT will host a special gathering to welcome current International Scholars, introduce them to SHOT officers, and discuss with them SHOT’s international outreach and the international intellectual dimensions of our field.

International Scholars will participate in an email discussion list of all current International Scholars and the Internationalization Committee. Through the list International Scholars can seek support in writing paper abstracts for SHOT’s annual meeting and other activities in their task as ambassadors for the Society.

Conditions

Steering Compass and Binnacle from the ship Balclutha, San Francisco, n.d. Source: Library of Congress.

As a condition of appointment, SHOT requires International Scholars to submit at least one paper proposal for SHOT’s annual meeting during their two-year term. While paper proposals from International Scholars will not automatically be accepted for the annual meeting, SHOT encourages the program committee to give these proposals special consideration.

SHOT also requires International Scholars to submit a travel grant application for each of the two SHOT annual meetings during the two years of their appointment. International Scholars receive highest priority for SHOT funding. Travel grant funds will help pay for travel expenses for International Scholars to attend the annual meeting and for basic conference registration, although not for lodging. For more information, please see the SHOT Travel Grant information page.

To inform the SHOT community about the state and developments of the history of technology in their regions, progress in disseminating information about the Society and stimulating scholarly activities in the history of technology, International Scholars commit themselves to at least one publication in the SHOT Newsletter or on the SHOT website.

For more information on current and former International scholars, see Current and Previous International Scholars (below).

2020 Internationalization Committee

For more information, please contact the committee chair or Jan Korsten, SHOT Secretary, [email protected].

Current International Scholars

Previous International Scholars