CULTURAL HISTORY OF SCIENCE - AN OVERVIEW WITH REFLECTIONS

The increased popularity of the label ''cultural'' within science studies, especially in relation to ''cultural studies,'' invites consideration of how it is and can be used in historical work. A lot more seems now to be invested in the notion of ''cultural history.'' This article examines some recent historiography of science as a means of considering what counts as cultural history in that domain and attempts to coordinate it with the sociologically informed studies of the past ten or fifteen years. The label ''sociocultural'' seems a more useful term by which to capture recent developments.