A Space for Science is a new version of Formação da Comunidade Cientifica no Brasil (published only in Portuguese in 1979 and now out of print), which became a standard reference for studies of the development of scientific traditions and competence in Brazil and, by extension, for other developing countries. Based on dozens of interviews with several generations of Brazilian scientists, it offers a wealth of information and insight about the motivations, attitudes, values, and perceptions of the scientists who, working in this kind of environment, face challenges and endure frustrations not known to their colleagues in wealthier industrialized countries.

The book focuses on the development of natural sciences in Brazil from the nineteenth century, with emphasis on the cultural, institutional, and social contexts that facilitated or hindered their growth and institutionalization, and offers an analysis of their current predicaments. It also provides an account of the importance to Brazil of foreign-trained scientists and foreign models of research and higher education.

This new English version contains background information on Brazilian society and politics, a new introduction, and two new chapters on most recent developments. These changes, along with substantial revisions to the text, make this a new book even for the Brazilian reader.