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The project ETH Decol reconstructs the colonial history of ETH Zurich. The research team explores how ETH became a central hub in the global circulation of experts, technologies, knowledge and objects from the age of high imperialism through the era of decolonisation (1860-1980). The project runs from 2024 to 2029.

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CfP: hybrid workshop between Universitas Indonesia and ETH Zurich.

Science and Technology in the Dutch East Indies, c. 1815–1939
2–4 September 2026
Universitas Indonesia (Depok) & Online

Organised by the History Laboratory (Lab Sejarah) and the Department of History, University of Indonesia, in collaboration with ETH Zürich, this workshop invites graduate students and researchers working on the histories of science, technology, empire, infrastructure, medicine, environment, and knowledge production in colonial Southeast Asia.

The workshop aims to create a space for discussion across different academic traditions and research contexts, particularly between Indonesia and Europe. Participants will present their work and receive feedback from fellow researchers and senior scholars.

Selected papers may later be developed for publication in a themed issue of Wacana: Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia (April 2030), following the journal’s regular peer-review process.

Abstract deadline: 15 June 2026
Submission: carmen.bortolin@gess.ethz.ch

CfP_Science_and_technology_in_the_DEIDownload

Next Event, 22 June – 23 June 2026: Phillipp and Sarujan will present their paper ‘Training the Postcolonial World: ETH Zurich and the Remaking of Colonial Expertise in the Age of Decolonisation ‘ at the workshop Universities and Society at the End of Empire and Beyond (UniSoc) at University of Birmingham (UK).