Today on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Dr. Surekha Davies, historian of science, art and ideas, and author of the new book Humans: A Monstrous History (University of California Press). Surekha’s research explores how ideas about humanity have been shaped by encounters with what did not seem to fit. She draws on visual, material and textual sources to show how people have imagined and defined the human across time.In this episode, Surekha:Traces her path into HPS, from Star Trek dreams to Renaissance studiesExplains why visual and material sources are crucial to understanding early modern scienceIntroduces her book Humans: A Monstrous HistoryTell us about how monstrosity functioned as an epistemic tool for organising knowledge and drawing conceptual boundariesExamines how these ideas influenced concepts of gender, race and empireIf you’ve ever wondered how the strange and unfamiliar shaped science, culture, and our understanding of humanity, this episode is for you.Relevant Links: Surekha Davies WebsiteHumans: A Monstrous History ((University of California Press, 2025)Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters (Cambridge University Press, 2016).Transcript coming soon.Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds. This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme. Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

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