Ciencia, positivismo e identidad nacional en el cono sur: la participación argentina en los proyectos documentales contemporáneos (1895-1928)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse and reconstruct Argentinian participation in early twentieth-century scientific documentation projects. Particular attention is paid to the attempts to establish a National Bibliographic Bureau connected to the International Bibliography Institute in Brussels. This article is part of a wider study that aspires to offer an overview of the involvement of Latin America in world science through its participation in the main contemporary networks of scientific communication. Participation in such projects and networks not only corresponds to local scientists' needs and the spread of positivism but it must be linked to nationalistic concerns and the process of construction of collective identity. In addition to local factors, Latin Americanism and Pan Americanism became both relevant trends in the development of scientific documentation initiatives in Argentina at that time.