Chris Manias
Reader in the History of Science & Technology
Chris works on the modern history of science, with a particular focus on the history of the human, biological and ‘deep time’ sciences in Britain, France, the USA and German-speaking Europe from the eighteenth to the early-twentieth century.
Chris has particular interests in the history of anthropology, archaeology and palaeontology, and how different scientific fields have affected understandings of the past and developmental change. His work particularly focuses on how science is discussed across varying boundaries and barriers, whether these be geographic ones between different regions, countries and empires, cultural ones between different social groups and media, or disciplinary ones. Chris is also very interested in the public history of science, particularly examining the development and wider role of museums, learned societies and science in the media. In addition, He is committed to connecting the history of science with other historical fields, and am particularly interested in how scientific debates have affected larger historical issues around ideas of race, nationality, ethnicity, environments and humanity.
BOOKS
Biography
Chris joined the history department at King's in September 2015. He studied for my undergraduate degree in History at King’s, and then took my MA in Social and Cultural History at Birkbeck, University of London. He stayed on at Birkbeck for my PhD, which was awarded in 2008. After this, Chris held a variety of teaching and research positions at the German Historical Institute London and the universities of Bristol and Exeter, and was a Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Manchester (2012-2015).
Research interests and PhD supervision
The history and cultural role of the deep-time, human and environmental sciences (especially palaeontology, archaeology and anthropology)
Environmental history
The history of ideas of race, culture and nationality
Understandings of evolution and development
The history and role of museums and heritage organizations
Chris would be pleased to hear from prospective postgraduate students interested in the modern history of science, or more generally in the cultural and intellectual history of Britain, France, German-speaking Europe and the USA in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. He would be particularly interested in projects engaging with the following areas:
The human, deep-time and biological sciences
Comparative and transnational approaches to history Internationalism and nationalism, particularly in scholarship and science
Environmental History
The history of understandings of race and culture, and of progress, evolution and degeneration
The history of museums and collections
Public engagement
Chris regularly speaks at and organise public events (especially around the public role of palaeontology), and is involved in a number of collaborations with artists and cultural organizations.