Social knowledge in health is now being considered a scientific, political and proactive field in Brazil. Studying the texts of the Congresses of Social and Human Sciences in Health at Abrasco involves conducting a partial genealogical study of the area, learning how the constitution of this subfield emerged and developed, and also to map the current “state of the art” in this knowledge area. This article seeks to analyze the speeches of key informants on achievements of the Congresses. Thirteen interviews with presidents and coordinators of Social Sciences Commissions were recorded in different administrations between 1995 and 2011 when the Brazilian Congresses of Social and Human Sciences in health were staged. The speeches reveal three pivotal moments in the history of the Congresses. The first was in 1995 when the First Congress was held, which marked the coming of age of social science knowledge in health and the demarcation of the field. The second was at the Third Congress in 2005 seen as the consolidation of both the knowledge area and this scientific field. The third moment was at the Fifth Congress in 2011, which tabled the scientific agenda of social and human sciences in health within the context of Public Health in Brazil.
Public health; Social sciences; Social thinking; Scientific field