Science in West Asia and North Africa

Abstract

This article comments on a collection of articles (in this issue) dealing with the status of science in the Arab world. The author stresses first the interest to bring fresh and accurate data on this region, where S&T institutions are rapidly changing and poorly documented. A second main point is that in such intermediary countries, where the institutionalisation of science is in progress, usual concepts like ‘scientific communities’, research and innovation ‘systems’ or ‘the role of the scientist’ do not readily apply. Other notions have to be coined to account for the motivations of the actors, the aim of policies and the paths to change. Finally the article distinguishes a variety of scientific landscapes, from Maghreb to the Gulf States. It insists on two main factors of dynamics: the social grounding of science, which derives from images of knowledge and from the ambient values; and the social support science has acquired (through an implicit alliance with specific groups).