The Professionalization of Brazilian Scientists, the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), and the State, 1948-60

Abstract

The Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC) played a crucial role in the professionalization of Brazilian scientists between 1950 and 1960. During this period, Brazilian science underwent a redefinition in which scientific interests and political legitimacy were closely imbricated in issues of state power and political economy. The SBPC strove to define the logic of the scientific field according to the professional interests of the scientists. However, given changes in the country's political economy which altered the power balance within the state, and the changing nature of political legitimacy, SBPC's logic was ultimately defeated. The main conclusion arising from this analysis is that professionalization is shaped by political struggles between opposing logics of political action. It also suggests that the nature of these different logics is to be found in the interaction of the `disciplines' discourse, in Foucault's sense; and this, in turn is shaped by the professional practice of the actors.