Geniuses, ideas, institutions, mathematical workshops: Forms of writing mathematical history. A metahistorical essay (Q5939635)

The essay discusses some current forms of the historiography in mathematics like biography, idea-history and history of institutions. Following this, the of the author approved form of the historiography is sketched. This is orientated on newer tendencies of the science-history to describe science as research-practice. To the illustration of the possibilities and problems of the discussed historiographic forms serve examples from the history of knot theory.