Matter of science: scientific controversies in the health field

• Grant number: 19/12643-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Ferreira Toniol
• Grantee: Luciana Cavalcanti Alvarez
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/05193-5 - Institutionalized spirituality: public policies, clinical uses and medical research in the legitimation of spirituality as a health issue in Brazil, AP.JP

Abstract

The aim of this research project is to perform a comprehensive study of the "Instituto Questão de Ciência" (IQC), the first scientific popularization institute in Brazil, which has the purpose to provide scientific evidences for health public policies formulation. Specifically, the project's focus, is to analyses the current debate between the IQC and the actors involved with those whom the institute denominates "pseudoscience". Moreover, the present study starts from the current discussion within the frame of the controversy, considered as model of analysis. Among the institute's privileged topics is the public debate about the use, legitimacy and official support of the so called alternative/complementary therapies and its possible relationship with spirituality. The main research purpose consists in the analysis of the controversies concerning the relation between spirituality and health in which the IQC is involved mapping them, accompanying both the institute's social networks and its working events. Finally, we remark that the research is situated in the scope of the anthropology of science debate discussions and hence will be necessary to dialogue with important authors on the subject such as Bruno Latour - especially invoking his Actor-Network Theory - and Isabelle Stengers, regarding with her reflections about what is science and non-science.