Networks of solidarity and philanthropy in the face of scientific exile during the Spanish Civil War. The Junta Argentina para la Ayuda a los Universitarios Espanoles and the Institucion Cultural Espanola de Buenos Aires (1936-1945)

This article studies the republican scientific exile to Argentina. Its universities were reluctant to open their doors to exiles, nevertheless there were other ways to help. Support came in the form of cultural patronage from various businessmen, who agreed to finance some exiled Spanish scientists. As such, we can identify the Junta Argentina de Apoyo a los Universitarios Exiliados and the Institucion Cultural Espanola de Buenos Aires, which both worked actively on a network of Atlantic solidarity. Here, Rafael Vehils became an patron of researchers and publications and played a prominent role. Based on the archives of both institutions, this article reconstructs this work of patronage and solidarity with Spanish scientific exiles.