One Planet, One Sky: Internationalism in Modern Astronomy
September 22, 2025
Meet VCU Authors: Jörg Matthias Determann
Start time: 12:00 p.m.
End time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Join us for a Meet VCU Authors talk with Jörg Matthias Determann, Professor in the Department of Liberal Arts & Sciences at VCU in Qatar.
Description
Astronomy is usually concerned with matters very distant from Earth. Most phenomena studied by astronomers transcend human spaces and timescales by orders of magnitude. Yet, many scientists have been interested not just in the physical composition of stars and galaxies, but also in the political state of their own planet. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a significant number of them pursued parallel careers as academics and activists. Forging a global community, they sought to take down the barriers based on nationality and passports that divided them. Many professional scientists joined the International Astronomical Union’s Commission 38 on Exchange of Astronomers. In the spirit of internationalism after World War II, this professional body supported travel worldwide with funds from UNESCO. Equally important were amateur astronomers who reached out to peers in countries excluded from the international scientific community. The efforts of these scientific diplomats went beyond securing visas for people who were marginalized because of nationality, country of birth or place of residence. Through new organizations like Astronomers Without Borders (AWB), they also spread new visions of Earth as a planet without political boundaries.
About the Author
Jörg Matthias Determann, Ph.D is Professor in the Department of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. He also serves as Associate Editor of the Review of Middle East Studies and as Book Review Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies. He holds a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and two master’s degrees from the University of Vienna. He is the author of five books including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy. He is currently writing a book about the history of teaching science with science fiction.