Two hands holding a smart phone photograph a placental dyeing procedure that researches freemartinism in cows.

Doctors at Leiden University hospital reenact Frank Lillie’s early placental dyeing method used as a diagnostic tool for assessing placental anastomosis. Used to study a biological phenomenon in genetically female cows born from a dizygotic twin pregnancy, called freemartinism, the dyeing technique maps the exchange of blood and hormones across the placental connection that renders the female twin intersex and unable to conceive. Film still from Flush (2023). © Lucy Beech, courtesy of the artist.

Dept. III

Artifacts, Action, Knowledge

Department Artifacts, Action, Knowledge studies the history of knowledge and action considering the interchangeable role of artifacts as texts, objects, and spaces. Collaborative working groups focus on project-based outputs that promote discussion and debate on the production of knowledge across all domains of life. Our research structure is organized around three key facets of knowledge: material artifacts, social action, and formalized epistemic expressions.

Research

Metals and Minerals
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Heavens in Your Hand
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Proteins and Fibers
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Reclaiming Turtles All the Way Down
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Common Knowledge and Its Sources in the Sinosphere
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The kn/own/able Project
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News & Press

Vacancies in research, administration, journalism, and technical support

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Rubina Raja receives Gerda Henkel Stiftung grant for “Lost Cities Rediscovered” project

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Lakshmi Pradeep awarded PAST grant for "Lakshadweep Islands” archiving project

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Events

Manners of Reckoning Reading Group Meeting

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Monastic Medicine and the Politics of Learning between China and Inner Asia: 1643–1949

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Reading Group: Early Science in the Islamic World

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Publications

Multimedia & Feature Articles

Digital Resources