Images as Social Agents and Historical Ledgers in Knowledge Systems

Explore the crucial role of images in the production, dissemination, and evolution of human knowledge systems through this insightful lecture by Anna Guerrero from Arizona State University. Delve into how images, particularly in scientific fields like microbiology, serve as primary sites for conceptual generation and change. Discover how images act as historical ledgers, capturing traces of their creators' contexts, actions, goals, and assumptions. Examine the co-evolution of images and concepts in shaping our understanding of biological entities such as cells and microbial biofilms. Learn about combining qualitative historical methods with quantitative network analyses to identify significant images for study. Gain insights into the development of image-centric computational tools for analyzing the evolution of complex knowledge systems. This talk offers a unique perspective on the intersection of visual communication, scientific knowledge, and historical analysis in the context of socio-technical systems.