c:o/re Fellow 10/25 – 09/26
Ricky Wichum is a sociologist and historian of technology who works at the intersection of the history of technology and political sociology. His research focuses on the histories of (super-)computing, the rise of electronic government, and the securitization of social infrastructures. In his first book, “Biometrie. Zur Soziologie der Identifikation” (2017), Ricky explores biometric identification technologies as a way to address control issues in liberal societies. The monograph “Simulation for All. Supercomputing in Stuttgart” (2021) (co-authored with David Gugerli) analyzes how supercomputing has developed through ongoing reconfigurations of computing, science, industry, and politics. The upcoming book, „Die Datenverarbeitung der Schweiz“ (2026), examines how the use of computers in public administration and the development of computer science at ETH Zurich have mutually influenced each other. His work has been supported by fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study on Media Cultures of Computer Simulation (MECS) in Lüneburg, the University of Copenhagen, the KHK Cultures of Research (c:o/re) in Aachen, and the University of California, Berkeley.
How Philosophers and Sociologists Became Users of Social Networks. Towards a materialist communication history of the digital humanities (1980-2000)
In recent years, the ‘Digital Humanities’ (DH) concept has become a pivotal framework for examining and transforming research cultures within the humanities and social sciences. This field works to interrogate traditional methodologies by leveraging computational tools to reorganize and visualize substantial datasets. Through these methods, DH not only reshapes our understanding of cultural narratives but also challenges the conventional interpretative authority that has typically dominated the discourse in these areas. As we navigate an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, the implications of digital epistemologies are becoming even more pronounced. This invites a critical reevaluation of how we engage with the Digital Humanities.
In my KHK project, I will investigate how German philosophers and sociologists, in collaboration with the university computing center, developed a distinct knowledge space for communication and information exchange via scientific computer networks between 1980 and 2000. I propose a historical and materialistic approach to examine how science communication and the organization of science in philosophy and sociology have evolved due to the shift to digital space and the collaboration between computer specialists and humanities scholars.
Publications (selection)
Coming soon: Wichum, R. (2026). Die Datenverarbeitung der Schweiz. Zur Informatik der staatlichen Verwaltung (1980-2000). Ferdinand Schöningh (Reihe “Geschichte der technischen Kultur”).
Wichum, R., & Zetti, D. (Eds.). (2022). Zur Geschichte des digitalen Zeitalters. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
Wichum, R.(2022). Der Computer als Maschine in Niklas Luhmanns Systemtheorie der Verwaltung der 1960er Jahre. Soziale Systeme, 25(1), 226–233.
Gugerli, D. & Wichum, R. (2021). Simulation for All: The Politics of Supercomputing in Stuttgart. Zurich: Chronos.
Kaufmann, S. & Wichum, R. (2016). Risk and Security: Diagnosis of the Present in the Context of (Post-)Modern Insecurities. Historical Social Research, 41(1), 48–69.
