Three Moments of Spanish Contributions to the History of Science in Latin America During the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

Scientific congresses fulfill multiple functions. They allow the exchange of ideas and projects among members of a scientific community. They favor the sociability of their participants. Behind their celebration lies an organizational effort that requires resources and negotiations with funding institutions. If it has an international projection, it becomes another manifestation of scientific diplomacy. Based on these considerations, this contribution analyzes the international congress “Science, Discovery and the Colonial World” held in Madrid in June 1991 from a threefold perspective. Firstly, the context of its celebration will be shown, placing it in the framework of the fifth centenary of the encounter of two worlds that was commemorated in 1992. Secondly, it will be explained how this congress was the culminating manifestation of an interaction carried out in the 1980s between members of the Latin American Society for the History of Science and Technology, chaired by Juan José Saldaña, the Spanish Society for the History of Science and Technology and the History of Science Society of the United States. Finally, the presentation of the issues discussed at the congress highlights how and why throughout its development an interesting antecedent of the trialogue that took place in Madrid in 1991 was not considered: I am referring to the historiographic work carried out by a group of Spanish scientists living in America between 1940 and 1975, mostly linked to the journal Ciencia, the exponent of the republican scientific diaspora.