ASU-GHI - Alliance Sorbonne Université - Global Health Institute

Preceded by an evening roundtable held in partnership with the Institut d’Études Avancées de Paris, the study day “From the Brain to Neuroscience: Long-Term Trajectories,” organized by the Committee for the History of Inserm with the support of Yves Agid, brought together historians, social scientists, and figures involved in research on the brain and the neurosciences on 22 January 2020 at the Sorbonne. A large and diverse audience filled the seats of the Michelet amphitheater, not only to listen but also to engage in discussion. Questions were numerous, and the debates were rich, and at times lively.

This second issue of Les Cahiers du Comité pour l’Histoire de l’Inserm includes, for the most part, papers derived from the presentations delivered during the 2020 study day. It has been enriched with additional articles and interviews born from the exchanges that followed the event. The iconography – images of the brain, its representations, and exploration techniques – adds another layer of insight, both illustrative and explanatory.

This substantial two-volume Issue No. 2 does not claim to be exhaustive. Such an endeavor would be nearly impossible given how vast, indeed, dizzying, the field of neuroscience is. How can one write the history of neuroscience? How can its origins be traced, and according to which approaches and problematics?

It is in a spirit of exchange and intellectual stimulation that this issue aims to contribute to the history of the neurosciences.