Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, der Medizin und der Technik e. V. (GWMT)

The Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, der Medizin und der Technik e. V. (GWMT) is a German scholarly society dedicated to the historical study of the sciences, medicine, and technology. It is the largest interdisciplinary association of its kind in the German-speaking world, with nearly 700 members drawn from a wide range of disciplines. Its registered office is in Cologne, and it operates as a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein). The GWMT was founded in 2017 through the merger of two predecessor organizations: the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte (GWG) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik e. V. (DGGMNT). The DGGMNT, founded on 25 September 1901 by Karl Sudhoff with the involvement of Friedrich Helfreich, is regarded as the world's oldest specialist society for the history of science. Through this lineage, the GWMT stands in a tradition of more than a century of organized scholarship in the field. The society's mission is to promote innovative approaches and methods in historical research on science, and to provide a lively platform for intergenerational, international, and interdisciplinary exchange. It places particular emphasis on dialogue with representatives of the scientific fields being studied, as a stimulus for critical reflection and self-assurance among both experimental and theoretical researchers. The GWMT offers its members a range of activities and services. It organizes an annual conference (Jahrestagung) at changing venues in Germany and abroad, providing a forum for early-career researchers and established scholars alike. It publishes the journal NTM – Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin, which has international reach. It awards a Förderpreis (promotion prize) for outstanding young researchers. It issues a newsletter twice a year with current information and topics, and provides regular member updates. It facilitates networking and represents the shared interests of its members. Within the society, several networks and working groups are active. The AG Mittelbau, founded in 2012 with support from Bettina Wahrig, advocates for improved working conditions for mid-level academic staff. The Forum Geschichte der Humanwissenschaften (FGH) connects researchers interested in the history of the human sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, and organizes workshops and publications. The Driburger Kreis, established in 1962 as a network for early-career scholars, remains closely associated with the GWMT. The GWMT is a membership-based organization and does not operate commercial products. Its primary outputs are its journal, its annual conference, its newsletter, and its support for scholarly networking and early-career researchers.

The GWMT was founded in 2017 through the merger of the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte (GWG) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik e. V. (DGGMNT). Its history is therefore closely tied to that of its predecessor organizations, particularly the DGGMNT, which was established on 25 September 1901 under the name Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin und der Naturwissenschaften by Karl Sudhoff, with the involvement of Friedrich Helfreich. The DGGMNT is regarded as the world's oldest specialist society for the history of science. It was entered into the register of associations at the Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main on 25 January 1952. Its statutory purpose was the cultivation and promotion of the history of medicine, natural sciences, and technology against the background of general history of science. To disseminate research results and foster scholarly networking, annual conferences were established, held at changing locations from 1902 onward. Since 2008, the society published the quarterly journal NTM – Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Technik und Medizin, which had been founded in 1960. The GWG emerged from a split within the DGGMNT following heated disputes at its 1964 annual conference in Würzburg. The conflict concerned the 1963 Umhabilitierung (transfer of habilitation) of the medical historian and former SS officer Alexander Berg to Göttingen, which had been supported by his Göttingen colleague and DGGMNT chairman Gernot Rath. Erwin H. Ackerknecht and younger representatives of the field had spoken out decisively against this move. The resulting Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte was founded as a separate society. In 1962, the Driburger Kreis was founded out of the Gesellschaft für die Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Medizin und Technik as a network for early-career scholars. It remains closely connected to the GWMT to this day. In 2012, with support from Bettina Wahrig, engaged postdocs founded the AG Mittelbau, a working group within the society that advocates for improved working conditions for mid-level academic staff. It has been active for more than a decade, organizing meetings, statements, demonstrations, and publications such as the Forum zur Geschichte, Gegenwart und Zukunft des Mittelbaus in NTM 3/2024. The Forum Geschichte der Humanwissenschaften (FGH) is another network within the GWMT. It connects German-speaking and international researchers interested in the history of the human sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Its activities include annual and international writing workshops, often organized in cooperation with the Chair of History of Science at the University of Erfurt and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Since its founding in 2017, the GWMT has continued the traditions of its predecessors, publishing the NTM journal, organizing annual conferences at changing venues in Germany and abroad, awarding a Förderpreis for outstanding young researchers, and issuing a newsletter twice a year. It is the largest interdisciplinary association in the German-speaking world dedicated to the historical study of the sciences, medicine, and technology, with nearly 700 members.

• 2017

  GWMT founded through the merger of GWG and DGGMNT.

• 2012

  AG Mittelbau founded with support from Bettina Wahrig.

• 2008

  DGGMNT begins publishing the quarterly journal NTM.

• 1964

  Heated disputes at the DGGMNT annual conference in Würzburg lead to the founding of the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte (GWG).

• 1962

  Driburger Kreis founded as a network for early-career scholars.

• 1960

  NTM – Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Technik und Medizin founded.

• 1952

  Society entered into the register of associations at the Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main on 25 January.

• 1902

  Annual conferences begin, held at changing locations.

• 1901

  Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin und der Naturwissenschaften founded on 25 September by Karl Sudhoff with Friedrich Helfreich; regarded as the world's oldest specialist society for the history of science.

The largest interdisciplinary scholarly society in the German-speaking world for the history of science, medicine, and technology, with nearly 700 members and a tradition dating back to 1901.

• NTM – Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin

  A specialist journal for contributions in the history of science, medicine, and technology, with international reach. Published quarterly since 2008 by the predecessor DGGMNT and now by the GWMT.

• Jahrestagung (Annual Conference)

  A forum for early-career researchers and established scholars, held at changing venues in Germany and abroad.

• Förderpreis

  An award for outstanding young researchers.

• Newsletter

  Published twice a year with current information and topics.

1. 1- GWMTgwmt.de
2. 2Geschichte - GWMTgwmt.de
3. 3AG Mittelbau der Wissenschafts-, Medizin-, und Technikgeschichte - GWMTgwmt.de
4. 4AG Forum Geschichte der Humanwissenschaften - GWMTgwmt.de
5. 5Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, der Medizin und der Technik e. V. (GWMT) - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Gesellschaft für die Geschichte der Wissenschaften, der Medizin und der Technik - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org