Netzwerkanalysen in der Medizin- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte – Zur Einführung

In this introduction to a thematic issue of Sudhoffs Archiv its two editors Heiner Fangerau and Klaus Hentschel review the history and current literature on social network analysis and explore the methodological and thematic potential of this approach for the history of science and medicine. As it will be further illustrated in the subsequent contributions to the special issue, interconnections between historical actors, such as communication, joint membership in organizations, or teacher-pupil relations can be mapped easily and perceived more clearly with the help of historical network analyses. Processes of selection, transfer and reception can be studied in their historical micro-, meso- or macro-dimensions. Chances and risks of this research method are discussed and a bibliography of the field is offered.