International Society of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine

The publication of Joseph Needham’s (1900-1995) monumental work, Science and Civilisation in China, has been followed by a rapid development of research on the history of science, technology, and medicine in China, as well as in civilisations upon which Chinese culture exerted an important influence, such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Beginning in 1982, International Conferences on the History of Science in China were held at irregular intervals. At the sixth of these conferences, held in Cambridge in 1990 in honour of Joseph Needham’s ninetieth birthday, participants agreed to found the International Society for the History of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine (ISHEASTM).

The Society’s purpose is to serve, represent and speak for scholars of the field defined by its name. It aims, primarily, to promote contacts and exchanges between these scholars, and also to establish and reinforce links with other scholarly communities at an international level. The Society’s activities include: The organisation of a plenary meeting every three years (Kyoto 1993, Seoul 1996, Singapore 1999, Shanghai 2002, Munich 2005, Baltimore 2008; Hefei 2011), and thereafter at four-yearly intervals (Paris 2015);The publication of a journal, EASTM;The provision of an email discussion group for members.