Resumo

RUVALCABA-CERVANTES, Juan Manuel. A Sociological Reflection on the Notions of Legitimacy and the Usefulness of Scientific and Technological Work. The Case of the Mexican Space Agency. Sociológica (Méx.) [online]. 2017, vol.32, n.92, pp.287-305. ISSN 2007-8358.

Social studies of sciences have shown that they use the concept of the usefulness of science and technology as a contributor to well-being and social and economic development to legitimize scientific activity. This usefulness is concretized in interactions which are materialized in the scientific-technological production that legitimizes scientific and technical endeavors. In the case of the Mexican Space Agency, for example, the author maintains that in emerging institutions, “sociability” plays the role of materializing the usefulness expectations to bestow legitimacy on scientific-technological activity.

Palavras-chave : legitimacy; usefulness; Mexican Space Agency; science and technology; scientific work; interactions; sociability.