ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Science Diplomacy from the Global South: An Overview of Brazilian S&T Strategy

• In Event: Shifting Perspectives on Data: Revealing Imbalances in Global Scientific Networks_2

English Abstract

Brazil has long been characterized as a middle power in literature. That label comes with additional challenges when combined with the concept of an emerging power from the Global South, in particular when it comes to investigating the strategies implemented by Brazil to overcome asymmetries and seek a fairer insertion in the international system over the twentieth century. The development of scientific and technological capabilities has been instrumental in the strategies to transform the country from an agrarian into a more complex economy with a thriving innovation ecosystem. This paper seeks to study the international dimension of this movement from a historical perspective, looking into the science diplomacy strategies employed by the Brazilian state in a national quest for self-affirmation in an unequal world. Through the observation and analysis of international treaties and agreements negotiated under the purview of Brazil, we find that science diplomacy strategies have long been a prominent component of Brazilian foreign policy with the intrinsic goal of prevailing over underdevelopment.

Author

• Hermano do Amaral Pinto Neto, University of São Paulo