Ciencia, política e historia de la ciencia contemporánea en Venezuela

at the outset of this new century, the venezuelan scientific community is un-dergoing a profound crisis. why have the expectations of the scientific pioneers fifty years ago not been realized? why has the scientific community not grown more rapidly and diversified its interests more? why is the ideological rift within the scientific community now so evident? why is there so much discon-tent in scientific circles? the author broaches these questions on the basis of a rereading of the relationship between scientific policy, the history of science and the economic and political evolution of venezuelan society during the last fifty years of democratic experience.