Project description
A closer look at X-ray technology in the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire embraced X-ray technology after addressing societal concerns, including fears about exposing the human body to invisible forces. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RADIATE project will explore the history of X-ray technology in non-Western contexts, tracing its development from its discovery by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in Germany to its adoption in modern Turkey. Going beyond the typical focus on the initial introduction of X-rays in the Ottoman Empire, the project highlights the complex process of their acceptance. It will examine the economic and legal changes that transformed X-rays from a foreign innovation into a vital part of daily life and explore lesser-known applications, such as in industrial settings and border control.
Objective
Titled “Reconstituting the Acceptance and Daily Integration of Technology: X-Rays in the Late Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey, 1895 to Present” (RADIATE), this project pioneers a new methodological approach to the study of technology in non-Western contexts. By tracing the longue-durée historical trajectory of X-ray technology, from its discovery by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in Germany to its widespread adoption in modern Turkey, RADIATE moves beyond conventional narratives that simply focus on the moment of its first introduction in the Ottoman Empire. Instead, it highlights the complex path X-ray technology took to gain acceptance, a journey marked by deep-rooted fears and societal anxieties, such as concerns about exposing the human body to invisible forces. The project explores the deeper and often overlooked economic and legal processes that helped transform X-ray technology from a foreign innovation into an integral part of daily life. Rather than treating X-ray machines as prepackaged technologies simply transplanted into the Ottoman world, RADIATE examines their gradual integration across different sectors of society despite initial scepticism and rejection. This includes investigating lesser-studied uses of X-rays beyond medicine, such as in industrial applications and border control – areas that have been almost entirely neglected in previous scholarship. By incorporating a diverse array of historical actors – ranging from technicians and marketers to investors and ordinary citizens – RADIATE challenges the traditional focus on elite scientific figures in the history of radiology. The project’s multidisciplinary and holistic approach aims to offer a groundbreaking understanding of how technology changed society – and how society changed technology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.