**2. Center/Periphery**

There are some locales in the globe which is central in doing the technical-scientific calculus, known by its pairs and, therefore, producers of knowledge and technology concerning the most power of decontextualization, circulation and definition. This condition was not established, nevertheless, as the Matthew's effect presume, it has major impact on developed science and technology, that is, it promotes the stability of the international

 1 About the differenciation center/periphery as a structural condition of the international system of science and technology, vide Neves (2009)

By its turn, the calculus centers are not devoid, purified by its context, from its agreements behind the walls, from its Tribe's idol. Laboratories also present the hierarchical marks from

This is the core of the matter concerning the differentiation center/periphery in the international system of science and technology (ISST)1. There is an established hierarchy based upon the references of scientific excellence, issues and patents, that has dynamical stability, and that, concerning the knowledge building, operates in the distinction of the valid knowledge (concerning circulation strength) and non-valid (concerning circulation

In another words, we do not need to oppose the local Chinese knowledge to the universal European knowledge, but just two local knowledge (…) Who includes and who is included, who locates and who is located are not things that constitute cognitive

Referring to this constant battle, it is possible to mention the "Matthews effect", Merton (1968) discusses the system of reward in scientific life: the scientists who has more is likely to earn more, the ones who has less, is likely to earn less. The scientific system tends to "oligopoly" in which concerns the scientific credit in the calculus centers. Mentioning Merton (1968: 57) "The social structure of science provides the context for this inquiry into a complex psychosocial process that affects both the reward system and the communication

The gathering tendency of the scientific credit from the calculus centers influences the ones who pass through there, giving them differentiate conditions and it is reflected in the scientific product, namely, research, publication, patent, in a game where no one loses: the calculus center wins, besides the quality of its formation, the scientists win besides their

The judgments about the scientific capacity of a student or even a researcher are always contaminated, throughout his/her career, by the position that he/she occupies within the instituted hierarchy (the Great Schools, in France, or the universities, for example, in

There are some locales in the globe which is central in doing the technical-scientific calculus, known by its pairs and, therefore, producers of knowledge and technology concerning the most power of decontextualization, circulation and definition. This condition was not established, nevertheless, as the Matthew's effect presume, it has major impact on developed science and technology, that is, it promotes the stability of the international

About the differenciation center/periphery as a structural condition of the international system of

Some laboratories have the capacity to use or reproduce knowledge from determined central region of the system, within the calculus centers. Other would reproduce knowledge, that, besides being new or innovative, it would be declared as local or

the scientific community. As Nunes; Gonçalves (2001:28) discuss:

differences or even cultural, but it result from a constant battle.

regional interest.

system of science".

**2. Center/Periphery** 

science and technology, vide Neves (2009)

competence.

 1

weakness). As Latour (2000: 371-2) affirms:

the United States) (BOURDIEU, 1983:124).

system of science and technology, better saying, it promotes the stability of the legitimate value that circulates through this system, and it happens to be validated as guiding principles concerning the good and bad technical-scientific practice.

The society, as a social system, has a central zone which invades the entire "ecological domain in which the society exists", as Shils (1992) affirms. The legitimate order of symbols, values and beliefs that controls the society is located in its center. In the case of science and technology international system, it is established a legitimate order through the construction of legitimate research agendas, ensured experimental practice, allowed imagery of the world, sanctioned paradigms.

Considering the international system of science and technology formed by trans-scientific fields (KNORR-CETINA, 2005), that is, social areas of scientific and technical production that whether expand itself or restrict itself based on the locale and global circumstance that is faced. One of the circumstances refers to the legitimacy of the practice that governs the field: the greater the proximity concerning the central practices, the greater the expansion. It is due to the legitimacy agreement, which says that the legitimate is legitimate because it finds support in its practices, publications, conferences and etc. In a general level, the definition of the main scientific system can be noticed as a battle which mobilizes the relation of resources.

It brings into the game resources relations, for example, when it is occupied a scientific position, when money is distributed among the group of scientists or researchers, when it is elected a speaker to a scientific conference or even when the result is produced by a scientist incorporated into another's investigations (KNORR-CETINA, 2005, p.206).

It is needless to say that these resources are highly concentrated in the center. Thus, these relations are unequal, producing hierarchies that are mobilized, in a basic level, as power relations. The center concentrates resources, thus concentrates power of definition and expansion of the scientific practice that are not built. It is the main role of the periphery whether the acknowledgement of these scientific practices or its negation, the last, therefore, would bring the consequence that the science and technology distance themselves from the major values and it tends to be considered of a restrict and exotic interest, acquiring low capacity of definition and circulation.
