DHST Manifesto- A Draft What does the future of the history of science and technology as a field look like? More thanthat, what can be the role of the history of science and technology for the future [of humanity?]?
Today, as is felt by many of us, the value of our disciplines and the humanities at large is put into
question by a world that places more emphasis on economic, military, and nationalist ideologies
than on any shared inheritance – scientific, artistic, technological, educational etc. – and thepossibility of achieving, through its investigation, a more livable future for all.
Recently, Kostas Gavroglu argued that we, historians of science and technology, managed tobecome a respected academic discipline despite the possible disapproval of the scientists. However,
now we are facing a new threat anchored in a politics of short-term utilitarianism. Again, we mustfind a way out, not just to survive, but to thrive - this much we owe to ourselves and to the future
generations. It is in that context that we would like to briefly think about the role of internationalorganizations like the DHST in the future and for the future. Any vision of these futures should
center on early career scholars and, beyond them, college and university students. They are theones who will lead and guide the Division with their own successor generations in mind. It is key
that they do not feel excluded or, worse, alienated from international organizations like theDHST. In this respect, when we imagine possible futures for the Division, they should not simply
mirror what the leading figures in our midst are most familiar with, but must include the visionsand concerns and ideas of each one whose future is also at stake. If we do not make that effort,
the DHST does not have a future beyond inertial institutional reproduction. Such effort requires
from us, on the one hand, a permanent commitment to the tradition of internationalism that lies
at our own historical roots, and, on the other hand, to rethink this tradition so that anyone,whatever their power position, sees its potential, rather than to feel excluded.

For that to happen, those who have power in the Division, in its member countries andcommissions, need to step back from the structures and hierarchies they are familiar with andembrace the needs and aspirations of every person in our community. The obvious example
here is our relation towards programmed technologies, but it also relates to other styles ofcommunicating and collaborating with one another; other motivations for scholarship; otherways of decision making; other approaches to science diplomacy; other kinds of conferences,etc.
Such change is not and should not be intended as change for its own sake. Rather, it should beaimed at sending out a clear signal to the generation who is now making their first steps into
research, making it clear to them that all are welcome and that they can speak up and have avoice.
Doing that is not a trivial nor easy task. The DHST Council has been trying to take steps in that
direction, but we know that there is much yet to be done. We need to involve the wholecommunity we are supposed to represent. Real change requires every individual member of ourcommunity of researchers and teachers to make a gesture toward one another. But for this tohappen we need to foster opportunities to meet, listen, and talk to one another in ways that go
beyond the traditional structure of academic conferences, which is of necessity exclusionary,even if unintentionally. This is the rationale behind this event: to come together as a very diverse
community not only in terms of research subjects, but, above all, in the differential access toresources that is rooted in the lived experiences of gender, ethnicity, career stage, linguisticcompetences, national origins and so many other sources of power imbalances. In the planningof the festival, we strove to be as non-hierarchical as possible, avoiding the privileging of seniorscholars over early career ones, one time zone over another, colleagues with access to travel
funds over those without it. The use of digital technologies for the festival is then a concrete
exploration of one of Gavroglu's suggestion for a possible way out: instead of regarding digitaltechnologies with suspicion as a necessary evil, we might see them also as providing opportunities
to increase global togetherness, diversity and discussion
It is our sincere hope that this initiative is experienced by you all as an opportunity to be more
involved and to help us in our endeavor to rethink internationalism towards the future.