ABSTRACT
It is not at all obvious, however, that we should treat science in relation to particular nation-states. Indeed, it is not obvious that we should treat any aspect of twentieth century history in this way. And yet, national accounts of politics, society, economy and science dominate historical writing. There is nevertheless a strong case for treating science nationally since it has been constituted by national education systems, by national funding (not least for that ultimate purpose of the nation-state - waging war), and by national industrial and economic policies. I will argue that there has been a quite deliberate nationalization of science, which compels us to treat the growth of science with reference to the nation-state. This does not mean that the nation-state is the only context in which science should be studied - far from it - but it does mean that it is an important one. But this linkage between science and the nation is itself the product of historical develop ment, and is not to be treated as natural or inevitable.
