Abstract. This editorial provides a theoretical and contextual framework for the themed
issue “Raum. Gesetze. Daten.”. The article calls for a broader
historiographic analysis of the quantitative-theoretical turn in
German-speaking geography. We propose a research agenda that aims at writing
a history of science beyond monumental history and classical intellectual
history, that focuses on the messiness of history and takes the historicity
of systems of thought into account. The endeavour is part of a growing
interest in the history of science in the context of the cold war, cybernetic
thinking and post-Fordist capitalism.