Dr Cristiana Bastos

Thank you for letting us express some words of concern and protest about the imminent closure of the Centre, something we around the world can only deeply regret. Anyone who works on historical, social, cultural, political aspects of medicine and the biosciences in any part of the world had and has the WTCHOM in the highest esteem and consideration; most of us have benefited from its existence either indirectly, by reading and learning from the impressive scholarship promoted there, or directly, by participating one time or another in the activities of the centre.

I was lucky enough to have been a beneficiary of all of them: in teaching and research, I regularly use books and articles produced by scholars supported by the Centre through the years; I participated in several conferences promoted by the Centre, where I could meet cross-disciplinary interlocutors that I would unlikely meet in any other way, and developed productive research partnerships as a result; finally, in 2009, the Centre kindly received me as a visiting scholar for a brief period – one that was long enough to allow me to develop new research lines that would probably never come to life otherwise. I believe that many around the world share similar experiences. It is therefore our duty to express these views – both of a tremendous thanks for the existence of the Centre until now, and a deep concern regarding its future.

Let me once again make my modest point: the very existence and the dynamics of the Centre, on top of the accountable benefits and production that can directly be evaluated, is at the root of much of the new scholarship and knowledge production that exists in the world, something that seems to me as a good way to fulfil the mission of the Wellcome Trust and the legacy of Sir Henry. To lose something that took so many years to create would be a terrible thing. Please count on my support for any initiative you may take.

Cristiana Bastos
Permanent Researcher, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa
Director, Imprensa de Ciências Sociais