Scientific data as argument: The case of sexual partners reduction in HIV prevention in Brasil

Abstract

This article dicusses the use of scientific facts as argument for a 1999 Brazilian debate about the legitimacy of an official aids prevention policy. It seeks to defamiliarized a common aids argumentative practice which uses a classification of a scientific public health measure as a main legitimacy judgement. It is argued that it is peoples? negotiations and objects? mobilization that gives legitimacy to the implementation of a prevention estrategy ? acccording to a Social Psicology of science with a construcionist point of view.