BSHS Annual Meeting, Liverpool 2004

Founded in 1947, the BSHS is Britain’s largest learned society devoted to the history of science, technology and medicine. Current members include lecturers, writers, students, teachers, museum curators and private individuals. Our aim is to bring together people with interests in all aspects of the field, and to publicise relevant ideas within the wider research and teaching communities and the media.

The Society’s Mission Statement gives more detail on our aims.

What the Society provides

• Publications including the prestigious peer-reviewed quarterly British Journal for the History of Science (BJHS); our Newsletter, bringing the latest information on happenings in the field three times a year; and BSHS Monographs.
• Conferences: the Society’s broadly-themed Annual Conference helps participants from all periods and fields to meet and exchange ideas. The Postgraduate Conference is organised by and for graduate students, while other meetings include collaborative events with a variety of institutions and with our international sister societies.
• Prizes: the BSHS makes three awards biennially, for work ranging from unpublished papers by junior researchers to full-length books accessible to a wider audience.
• Information on the profession: as the primary British professional organisation for historians of science, technology and medicine, the BSHS aims to provide an up-to-date record of the status of the field via its online News and Events Listings, BSHS List of Theses in progress or recently completed, and Guide to Institutions.
• Outreach & Education: our Outreach and Education Committee exists to promote understanding of the history of science, technology and medicine in a wide range of educational contexts, including schools and colleges, museums, libraries and the media.

How do I join the Society?

Full membership details, and an application form, are provided in the section BSHS Membership on this site.

Society Administration

The Society is registered as a charity and as a private company limited by guarantee. It is governed by a Council elected by the membership; Council also appoints subcommittees and an Executive Secretary to deal with specific areas of the BSHS’s activities. For more details of whom to contact if you have any queries, see the Contacts page.