International Scientific Interactions: The Rockefeller Foundation and Funding for the Bahia Biological Institute, 1953-1955

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes scientific interactions between Brazil and the United States through the case study of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Division of Natural Sciences and Agriculture’s 1953-1955 financial assistance to the Biological Institute of Bahia, in which veterinarian Fúlvio Alice played a leading role. Its objective is to contribute to the deeper understanding of the strategic role that local intermediaries play in the dynamics of international scientific knowledge circulation, particularly when mediated by a North American philanthropic organization. The article draws on documents collected at the Rockefeller Archive Center and newspapers available at the Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira and analyzes them based on Jacques Le Goff’s proposal of a document-monument relationship, according to which sources carry the interests of their authors.

Keywords:
Biological Institute of Bahia; Rockefeller Foundation; Circulation of Knowledge; Mediating Individuals; Scientific Knowledge