Jan Brinkmann
Each story about bees is a microhistory
I am a historian specializing in global history, with a particular interest in the entanglements of humans, insects, and their shared environments. During my studies I focused on the histories of knowledge, animals and emotions since the 18th century, as well as on historical theory. These combined interests have led me to the field of Environmental Humanities, which allows me to engage more deeply with the questions that have fascinated me most in recent years.
Prior to entering the IDK program, I gained experience as a Research Assistant at the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel. I finished my M.A. in History in 2024 and my B.A. in History and Economic and Social History in 2022 at the University of Göttingen.
Contact: jan.brinkmann@uni-a.de
Humans and Honeybees is a project in the history of knowledge, situated between historical anthropology and animal history. Drawing on texts, images, and material culture from around 1800, it explores how human encounters with honeybees shaped both ecosystems and societies. By tracing their entangled histories, the project examines the more-than-human dimensions of (early) modern knowledge production, focusing on a small insect and its complex relations with the human world.
Honeybees and Humans: A More-than-Human History of Knowledge around 1800
Humans and Honeybees is a project in the history of knowledge, situated between historical anthropology and animal history. Drawing on texts, images, and material culture from around 1800, it explores how human encounters with honeybees shaped both ecosystems and societies. By tracing their entangled histories, the project examines the more-than-human dimensions of (early) modern knowledge production, focusing on a small insect and its complex relations with the human world.