Miles away and we still have a lot in common The origins of modern science communication in Ibero-America

Miles away and we still have a lot in common The origins of modern science communication in Ibero-America

Author: Gema Revuelta – Studies Center of Science, Communication and Society and Master of Science, Health and Environmental Communication (Pompeu Fabra University), Spain

Co-authors:

  • Sandra Daza-Caicedo – Independent researcher, expert in Social Appropriation of Science, Technology and Innovation, Colombia
  • Luisa Massarani – National Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology-Brazil, Brazil
  • Elaine Reynoso Haynes – Dirección General de divulgación de la ciencia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

For centuries, common language made it easier for Spain and Latin American countries to share stories in the media. This has increased in the current era, since digital media in Spanish have a wide spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, regardless of the country where it originated. The same could be said of Portugal and Brazil, with their common language. The language is clearly a common link that unites communication in geographically remote countries, but it is not the only link that unites Ibero-American countries.

Science communication in Portugal and Spain is, in many cases, closer to that of countries such as Brazil, Colombia or Mexico, than that of many of the countries belonging to the European Union, closer geographically, monetarily and politically. Ibero-America is not a geographical concept (the distance between some countries exceeds 12.600 miles!) but a concept that has a lot to do with language and culture, as well as with history. The birth of modern science communication in the different countries that make up this conceptual region holds many elements in common, many personal stories of communication pioneers who exercised their influence in other countries, of professional associations that served as reference to others, of publications with international authors etc.

This panel explains the convergences and divergences in the origins of the modern science communication of five Ibero-American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal and Spain. It will start by presenting a combined timeline of milestones and close with an outlook into the challenges and possibilities for the region.The four speakers proposed for this panel and the two co-chairs represent a group of 18 authors, who have written the chapters of their countries in the joint work for a book on the history of modern science communication in the world, edited by Toss Gascoigne and published by ANUPress in 2020.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Roundtable discussion
Theme: Time