SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS IN SPAIN (1950-1970) - SOCIAL-ISOLATION AND INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMATION OF BIOCHEMISTS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGISTS ON THE PERIPHERY

Through a study of Spanish scientific organizations and the involvemen t of Spanish scientists in international ones, the beginnings of bioch emistry and molecular biology in Spain are explored. The centre-periph ery dichotomy is useful in explaining the progress of the establishmen t of these disciplines, together with the political context, both nati onal and international, in which such establishment took place. It is suggested that international ties and national support are both necess ary, but not sufficient conditions to overcome the distance between th e Spanish scientific community and the centres of development and prod uctivity in biochemistry and molecular biology. The interplay between both national and international factors has proved to be crucial. As a tool to study the whole scientific community of biochemists and molec ular biologists, scientific societies allow us to analyze the role of that interplay in Spanish scientific development.