The problem of integrating chemistry into “grand narratives” or macro-scale studies of the past applies not only to the history of science but also to history more generally. How has chemistry figured in the history of politics, industry, education, or the environment, in the longue durée? Chemistry identified as a series of abstract theories is unlikely to feature prominently in such accounts, but chemistry understood as rooted in practice, craft, productive activities and material culture offers a different picture. In this paper, taking a “sociomaterial” approach that highlights the integrated nature of social and cultural history with histories of chemical science, practice, and technology, we discuss two recent projects centered on chemistry and chemical practices rather than the mechanical sciences and mechanization as foundational elements of modern history. The first was an edited volume, Compound Histories: Materials, governance and production, 1760-1840. The second was a special issue of the journal History of Science (54 / 2016), entitled "Exploring global history through the lens of history of chemistry." Our contribution will focus on the interpretive consequences of a sociomaterial approach for understanding the history of domestic (o)economy in the eighteenth century, nineteenth-century industrialization and more recent discussions of 'commodity value chains'.
