Petter Hellström

Researcher at Department of History of Science and Ideas

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

Download contact information

ORCID:
0000-0002-3212-6965

Short presentation

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

Keywords

  • history of racism
  • science and religion
  • visual culture
  • media history
  • global history
  • history of the life sciences
  • history of evolutionary theory
  • history of natural history
  • history of science
  • historical epistemology
  • history of cartography
  • diagrams
  • maps

Biography

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.

Research

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.

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 also 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

FOLLOW UPPSALA UNIVERSITY ON

Uppsala University on Facebook
Uppsala University on Instagram
Uppsala University on Youtube
Uppsala University on Linkedin