The study examines the emergence and development of Italy’s national encyclopaedic tradition as shaped by the activities of the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani. Its centenary in 2025 provides an important context for reassessing its cultural mission. The research uses descriptive and analytical methods to systematise, interpret, and compare primary and secondary sources related to Italian encyclopaedism. It identifies the core features that established the Treccani project as a state-building intellectual initiative. These include the early integration of academic expertise, geographically and disciplinarily diverse authorship, and a sustained commitment to presenting verified knowledge within a unified humanistic paradigm. The analysis shows how the Institute evolved from an ambitious interwar publishing initiative into a major scholarly institution with long-term influence on the humanities and social sciences in Italy. Particular attention is devoted to the digital transformation undertaken in the twenty-first century. This transformation significantly expanded the accessibility, thematic breadth, and public relevance of the Institute’s encyclopaedic resources. Ukrainian-related materials within the Institute’s print and digital collections are also explored, with no evidence found of direct participation by Ukrainian scholars in the creation of the original encyclopaedic corpus. This absence indicates the need for further research into how Ukrainian topics have been mediated through Italian intellectual traditions and represented within European reference culture. The findings highlight Treccani’s role as a durable model of national knowledge consolidation and demonstrate the broader significance of encyclopaedic institutions for cultural diplomacy and transnational intellectual history. Future research should examine how Ukrainian-related entries in Treccani are constructed at the level of authorship, sources, and narrative framing, as well as how these representations differ from those found in Ukrainian encyclopaedic traditions.
This article reviews the main events composing the developments of Greek agriculture during the Interwar period, paying tribute principally to agriculturists, the main actors to whom the State assigned the task and who bore the burden of materializing State's policy. However, a brief account is given at first to Greek agricultural evolution in the 19th century after the War of Independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire in 1821, in order to pose the questions and give the physiognomy of the environment wherein various events took place. Such events included the struggle of landless peasants for settlement-a promise given by the State to the veterans of the War of Independence-as well as the Parliamentary Law for the expropriation of big estates (tsifliks) and the efforts for the agricultural settlement of native peasants. As regards the Interwar period there were two colossal tasks to be accomplished. Firstly, the final agricultural settlement of landless peasants, together with that of 1.3 million of Greek refugees arriving at mainland after the Greek catastrophic defeat by the Turks in Minor Asia in 1922. Secondly, the successful tackling of the greatest problem of the Greek agricultural history, namely wheat selfsufficiency and the rise of wheat production as well as the protection of wheat producers, who otherwise would be a prey to usurers' mercy. In addition, further milestones were laid in Greek agriculture during the Interwar period such as the establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture, the foundation of Agricultural Bank, the Agricultural University in Athens, the adoption of the Co-operatives Law, the great efforts for land reclamation and the introduction in the cultivation of modern agricultural machinery. Furthermore, brief account is also given to developments of Greek agriculture from 1940 onwards, including the confrontation of local people's famine during German Occupation through food provisioning, the Resistance, as well as the Civil War, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshal Plan, Food and Agriculture Organization mission to Greece and the country's Reconstruction, arriving at Greece's entry as a full member to the European Economic Community on 1st January 1981.
The Chernobyl disaster of 26 April 1986 remains one of the most significant technological accidents of the twentieth century and a defining event in the history of science and technology. While early interpretations of the accident focused primarily on reactor design deficiencies and operator actions, subsequent investigations demonstrated that its origins were rooted in a broader interaction of technological, organizational, and institutional factors. This article examines the Chernobyl disaster as a turning point in the evolution of nuclear safety culture and technological governance. Particular attention is devoted to the role of Soviet modernization policies, the development of the RBMK reactor programme, organizational culture within the Soviet nuclear industry, and the management of technical knowledge before and after the accident. The study employs methods of historical analysis, historiographical review, comparative analysis, and socio-technical systems analysis. It is based on international scientific literature, reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, publications of the Chernobyl Forum, and recent studies in the history of technology, risk governance, and nuclear safety. The article analyses the technical and institutional origins of the disaster, the subsequent reassessment of nuclear risk, the crisis of technological expertise revealed by the accident, and the emergence of the concept of safety culture as a new framework for understanding technological reliability. The findings demonstrate that Chernobyl cannot be adequately explained as the consequence of either technical failures or human errors alone. The disaster represented a systemic failure arising from interactions among reactor design characteristics, organizational practices, institutional constraints, and deficiencies in the circulation of safety-related information. The study shows that the accident fundamentally transformed international approaches to technological risk, encouraged the development of safety culture as a key principle of nuclear governance, and stimulated new forms of international cooperation in the fields of nuclear safety, emergency preparedness, and regulatory oversight. The modernization of RBMK reactors after 1986 further illustrates how technological systems evolve through processes of institutional learning and adaptation. The article argues that the historical significance of Chernobyl extends far beyond the nuclear sector. The lessons derived from the disaster contributed to broader changes in the governance of complex technologies and remain relevant to contemporary discussions concerning sustainable technological development, risk management, and institutional resilience. Particular relevance is identified in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals associated with public health, sustainable energy, resilient infrastructure, and effective institutions. From the perspective of the history of science and technology, Chernobyl represents a crucial case study demonstrating how major technological accidents can reshape scientific knowledge, organizational practices, and international approaches to technological governance.
This article aims to examine the transformation of lighting systems in Kuala Lumpur, a major town in Selangor, Malaya from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. This study analyses how the process of illuminating the home at night shifted from a laborious hand-on task to a significantly more convenient and efficient system as a result the development of science and technology-based infrastructure particularly the provision of electricity. In additional, this article explores how exactly lighting technology has been introduced and integrated into homes in Kuala Lumpur. To investigate these questions, the study applied qualitative and historical research methods. Most of the information and statistics used in this article were collected from primary sources, including archives and official documents of the Electrical Department and the Selangor Secretariat Files published in the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. The study demonstrated that the provision of electricity as a domestic energy source by the Electrical Department played a significant role in advancing lighting technology in homes. The need to illuminate homes at night which was traditionally met through the use of the pelita, a container filled with kerosene that produces light through a lit wick has shifted to the use of electric lighting which provides illumination with just the flick of a switch. The development of lighting technology meant that the process of illuminating homes was no longer managed entirely by homeowners but also became the responsibility of the Electrical Department. Starting with the generation and distribution of electricity to consumers, the Electrical Department was subsequently responsible for managing household wiring systems and ensuring that the installation of electric lighting was properly carried out before it was used by consumer. Therefore, the evolution of lighting technology in Kuala Lumpur from oil lamp to modern electric lamp not only widened the nocturnal living spaces within homes but also afforded users with an enhanced sense of safety and comfort.
This research explores the emergence of ophthalmological practices in Yogyakarta, specifically within the realm of hospital practice. By focusing on the Prinses Juliana Gasthuis voor Ooglijders, this study analyzes the circulation and localization of European ophthalmological knowledge and technology within a colonial context. The investigation involved a thorough review of archival documents, including colonial and hospital reports, alongside an examination of the brands and origins of medical devices currently preserved at the Museum of Dr. Yap Prawirohusodo. The analysis utilizes David Arnold’s framework, which highlights intercultural exchange, regional circulation, and the hybridization of European knowledge and technology within a colony. The Prinses Juliana Gasthuis voor Ooglijders (Princess Juliana Hospital for Eye Disease Patients) was established in 1923 by Dr. Yap Hong Tjoen, a Chinese-Indonesian ophthalmologist who earned his doctorate from the University of Leiden. For this reason, his European education integrated him into a global network of medical expertise. He played a pivotal role in circulating ophthalmological knowledge and technology upon returning to the Dutch East Indies to work at the hospital. While he applied standardized European diagnoses and treatments for eye care, he simultaneously adapted this knowledge to local contexts by translating unfamiliar Western concepts for indigenous patients. Furthermore, the analysis of medical devices reveals a significant influx of imported equipment from Europe to Yogyakarta, underscoring the existence of a robust transnational network. Interestingly, the research also uncovers evidence of modification and self-fabrication, particularly regarding Snellen charts, wheelchairs, and medicine-compounding equipment. Such adaptations provide insight into how technology was tailored to suit local needs shaped by social, cultural, and physical factors. Ultimately, this study contributes to the historiography of medicine in the Dutch East Indies by examining the role of local agencies and the materiality of medical technology. It also underscores the significance of indigenous environments in the global dissemination and practical application of European medical science.
