Petter Hellström

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

Qualifications: BA Hons, MPhil, PhD, FLS

Born and raised in Sweden, I spent my student years in Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, eventually graduating with a BA Honours degree 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, Medicine, and Technology from the University of Cambridge. Back in Sweden I enrolled at Uppsala University, where I earned my PhD in the History of Science and Ideas in 2019.

Prior to my current position, I worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education, Uppsala University. I have also held salaried positions at Södertörn University, the Karolinska Institute, and the University of Lucerne. I have been an invited researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), the University of Cambridge, the University of Lucerne, and the Centre Alexandre-Koyré (CNRS- EHESS-MNHN). I was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 2024.

I defended my doctoral dissertation, “Trees of Knowledge: Science and the Shape of Genealogy”, in 2019. The examiner’s report is available online, as is the Uppsala University press release. A revised and expanded version of the dissertation is forthcoming with Zone Books in association with Princeton University Press.

Since 2022, I am 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. Because a significant portion of the work is carried out in France, and in cooperation with French colleagues, I will be a recurrent visiting researcher at the Centre Alexandre-Koyré (CNRS-EHESS-MNHN) for the duration of the project period.

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 also available in English.