The controversial role of strangeness in the spin structure of the nucleon

Although the strangeness content of the nucleon is small, it has played a major role in provoking puzzles and controversies in our understanding of the internal structure of the nucleon, particularly as concerns the spin structure. We recall the role of the strange polarization in precipitating the ''spin crisis in the parton model'' and discuss our present knowledge of the shape and sign of Δs(x). (orig.)