Conflicting influences in António Câmara’s making of the National Agronomic Station

This chapter explores the inception of the National Agronomic Station in mid-1930s Portugal and the socio-political ambiance of the national agricultural scientific milieu at that time. The circulation of material and work cultures, as well as researchers, between Portuguese and foreign research institutions in Britain, Germany, and the U.S. is delved into, with particular attention to the case of António Câmara, the Station’s first director. Câmara, whose stays abroad significantly influenced his managerial style, was a notable plant geneticist and an overall complex figure, his character being the sum of apparently contradictory political, moral and scientific views.