Science and Empires (Paris–April 1990): A Significant Moment in the History of Latin American Science

In this chapter, we shall consider the international colloquium Sciences and Empires held in Paris from April 3rd to 6th, 1990. This was a significant moment in the history of science, technology and medicine in the twentieth century. It was organized by UNESCO and had a strong theoretical and epistemological symbolism. Researchers specializing in the sciences of the “periphery” and historical memory attended the Science and Empires Colloquium, Latin American historians of science were working to professionalize their discipline and to disseminate their studies widely. The revival of Latin American science history has been taking shape since the Bucharest Declaration, born in the context of The XVIth International Congress of the History of Science. We also take a look back at this meeting attended by young and promising Latin American academics. This congress, held in Bucharest (26 August–3 September 1981), was organized by “The International Union of History and Philosophy of Science/History of Science Division (IUHPS/DHS)”, under the auspices of UNESCO.