Research
Research
Carsten Reinhardt is a member of the board of the research program on the history of of the Max Planck Society.
Carsten Reinhardt is a PI of the SFB 1288 “Practices of Comparing” Carsten Reinhardt is head of the DFG-funded research project “Forensic Toxicology in Germany and France during the 19th Century: Methods Development in Judicial Context” (research assistant: Marcus Carrier).
Further research projects
Method selection in 19th-century forensic toxicology / chemistry in a Franco-German comparison
In my PhD-Project, I am interested in how chemical expertise was communicated and gained credibility in the court room. To answer this question, I focus, first, on 19th-century poisoning trials and second, on the selection of analytical methods used by the experts. Which methods were used and why to isolate the suspected poison and which properties made these methods especially appropriate to convince the court and to gain credibility? Were there differences compared to other applications of chemical-analytical methods? The underlying hypothesis is that special circumstances of the court room, especially the confrontation with lay persons (judges, juries, attorneys…), led to a specific pool of methods for forensic toxicology.
Natural-synthetic, synthetic-natural: The “invisible industry” of flavors and fragrances, 1870-2020
Although flavorings and fragrances have been an essential part of the processing industry ever since the 19th century, their production remains largely hidden from the general public. The aim of my project is to make this “invisible industry” visible by subjecting it to historical studies of science. I will analyze the historical development of the flavor and fragrance industry as well as the paradigms of the natural and synthetic on which said development hinges. First, the focus will be on innovation strategies. What factors influenced and motivated industrial research and development? What impact did the knowledge transfer between industrial research and academic chemistry have on innovation processes? The second topic will be market design. How did the flavor and fragrance industry succeed in distributing their products and how did the natural environment and technological progress influence the market? Third, regulation will be discussed. How were the production and use of flavors and fragrances regulated? When and how were laws and official procedures established and who was involved in this process? How has the industry adapted to new regulations? These three perspectives – innovation, market design and regulation – are intended to provide a deeper understanding of the “invisible industry” of flavors and fragrances and its balancing act between the natural and the synthetic. The project will focus on the European continent and cover the period from the late 19th to early 20th century.
In the course of my PhD project, I (re-)interpret the biography of Helmut Schelsky in the light of his views about science and science policy. The aim is to establish a relation between his actions as a supporter of National Socialism, his academic socialization by members of the "Leipziger Schule" (such as Hans Freyer and Arnold Gehlen) as well as his influential role in the institutionalization of science and education in Post War Germany and his late program of "anti-sociology".
Practices of comparison in the Life Sciences
My research interests cover the role of analogies, metaphors and comparisons in the development of the Life Sciences in Europe and North America in the late 19th and 20th century. My current project deals with practices of comparison in the development and institutionalization of molecular genetics and biophysical chemistry in the second half of the 20th century.