Alejandra will present her dissertation, Caged Knowledge: the history of TECNO-ITINTEC, the first interactive science museum in Peru, on Tuesday, April 7, at 1:00pm EDT.

Location: Crosland G120, Wilby Classroom

Virtual: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/5899023644?omn=92112762089 

Abstract

Why and how did one of Latin America’s pioneering interactive science museums end up forgotten in an empty cage in the Lima Zoo? This dissertation reconstructs the history of TECNO-ITINTEC, a museum under the Institute of Industrial Technology Research and Technical Standards (ITINTEC). Although ITINTEC was a public research institution created by the industrial reforms of the military government of Velasco Alvarado, the museum itself was the personal project of a group of Peruvian scientists who sought to replicate new international models of science communication.  The dissertation traces the museum’s trajectory from its opening in 1979 until its closure in 1993, situating TECNO-ITINTEC within the broader political and economic transformations of late twentieth-century Peru. The museum navigated the developmental priorities of the Belaúnde government, adapted to the economic crisis of the García administration, and ultimately succumbed to what I call “bureaucratic dismantling” during the neoliberal reforms of the Fujimori era. This dismantling was not the product of a single decision but rather the outcome of institutional neglect, budgetary erosion, the withdrawal of state support, and unfulfilled promises of privatization for scientific research and education. Drawing on oral history interviews, extensive archival research, and the analysis of newspapers, laws, and ministerial records, the dissertation reveals how shifting political regimes, economic constraints, and institutional reforms shaped the creation, survival, and demise of TECNO-ITINTEC. It offers critical insights into the fragility of scientific institutions and the contested role of science museums as mediators between science, politics, and society.

The Committee Members are:

Dr. German Vergara (Advisor), School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Carla Gerona, School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Amit Prasad, School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Jorge Lossio, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Dr. Jose Ragas, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and Davis Center at Princeton University