Petter Hellström

Researcher at Department of History of Science and Ideas

E-mail:
petter.hellstrom@uu.se
Visiting address:
Engelska parken, Thunbergsvägen 3P
Postal address:
Box 629
751 26 UPPSALA

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Visiting researcher at Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS)

E-mail:
petter.hellstrom@swedishcollegium.se
Visiting address:
Villavägen 6C
752 38 Uppsala
Postal address:
Villavägen 6C
752 38 Uppsala

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ORCID:
0000-0002-3212-6965

Short presentation

I am a historian of science, knowledge, and intellectual culture. Though my historical interests are wide-ranging, in my research I have been mainly preoccupied with the productive role of images—metaphors, models, diagrams, maps—in conceptualisations of natural order and hierarchy.

While remaining affiliated to Uppsala University and the Department of History of Science and Ideas, as per March 2026 I am primarily employed by Dalarna University.

Qualifications: BA Hons, MPhil, P

Keywords

  • history of science
  • history of the life sciences
  • history of natural history
  • history of evolutionary theory
  • history of racism
  • history of cartography
  • science and empire
  • science and religion
  • visual culture
  • historical epistemology

Biography

Born and raised in Sweden, I spent my student years in Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, graduating with a BA Honours in Arabic and the Study of Religions from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and an MPhil degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Back in Sweden, I enrolled at Uppsala University, where I earned my PhD degree in the History of Science and Ideas in 2019.

Before returning to the Department of History of Science and Ideas as a Researcher in 2022–2026, I worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education, Uppsala University. I also worked shorter periods for Södertörn University, the Karolinska Institutet, and the University of Lucerne. I have been a visiting researcher at the universities of Cambridge and Lucerne, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, and the Centre Alexandre-Koyré (CNRS-EHESS-MNHN) in Paris.

In March 2026, I took up a permanent position as Senior Lecturer in History at Dalarna University.

Research

I defended my doctoral dissertation, Trees of Knowledge. Science and the Shape of Genealogy, in 2019. The dissertation was reviewed in very positive terms and earned me the 2020 prize for scientific achievement by the Carl Johans Förbundet, a royal society. A revised version of the study is forthcoming with Zone Books in association with Princeton University Press.

In 2022–2025, I was the principal investigator of Unmapping Africa. Enlightenment Geography and the Making of Blank Spaces, funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond for the Advancement of the Humanities and Social Sciences. A special issue on the theme of the project is accepted for publication in the Journal of Historical Geography.

I spending the autumn of 2026 as a Sabbatical Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies.

Media

I have a strong interest in research communication and outreach. While the majority of my interventions are only available in Swedish, a couple have been published in English by The Guardian. A blog post about my current project is likewise available in English.

Petter Hellström

Publications

Selection of publications

Recent publications

All publications

Articles in journal

Articles, review/survey

Chapters in book

Collections (editor)

Monograph doctoral thesis

Reports

Other

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