Project description
A Euro-Japanese journey to map Earth through art
Our understanding of the Earth has been deeply rooted in images, from Japanese emaki paintings representing underground mining to illustrated books of geological science in Europe. As such, visual culture is key to the history of geology. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the VHisGeo project aims to carry out the first comparative analysis of visual geological science in Europe and Japan, spanning the period from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Using art history in combination with geosciences, scholars involved in the research are digitising unique archival material in order to investigate the role that images played in shaping our scientific knowledge and awareness of the Earth.
Objective
VHisGeo offers the first comparative study of the visual culture of geological sciences in Europe and Japan (late 18th–early 20th century). It will address a fragmented field, where European studies are local and usually end before 1850, while Japanese studies on the visual culture of mining remain little known abroad.
By analysing Japanese emaki—illustrated scrolls often showing underground labour—together with European images, from French illustrated geological treatises to exhibition displays, the project explores contrasts and parallels in the visualisation of geological sciences. International and Meiji-era industrial exhibitions provide a key arena for these exchanges.
Methodologically, VHisGeo combines history of science, geosciences and art history in a transdisciplinary framework. It will define and digitise a corpus of sources, reconstruct their contexts of production and reception, and trace patterns of circulation.
This dual innovation—comparative and methodological—fills a significant historiographical gap.
Results include an open-access digital corpus, peer-reviewed publications, conferences and seminars. Outreach will involve a virtual exhibition, two onsite exhibitions co-created with art-school students, and participation in cultural events.
In doing so, VHisGeo explores how images shaped scientific knowledge and public perceptions of the Earth, while offering a historical perspective to current European debates on sustainability and geological heritage. Hosted by Hitotsubashi University (Prof. N. Ariga) and Università dell’Insubria (Prof. E. Vaccari), it aims to take a first step towards a global visual history of geology linking Europe and Japan.
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)
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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
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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-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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21100 Varese
Italy
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.