Joaquim de Carvalho in portuguese culture and historiography of science

Abstract

This article focuses on the historiographical work of Joaquim de Carvalho, one of the greatest figures of Portuguese culture in the twentieth century. We aim to analyse and systematize his ground breaking work in History of Science, which contributed to the consolidation of this area of knowledge in Portugal. After a brief biographical review (with the key moments of his academic and political careers), and an over view of the set of critical assessments of his work, we examine the conceptual and methodological assumptions that guided his research in the field of Historiography of Science. We seek to reveal the innovative nature of his approach and how it differed from the Portuguese historiography traditionalism.