Luigi Fantappiè and his students at the FFCL: autonomy and professionalization of mathematics in São Paulo

The main goal of this paper is to describe the strategies and practical measures adopted by Luigi Fantappiè, member of the Italian Mission that took part in the organization of both the mathematics and physics departments of the University of São Paulo, in the 1930s, in order to begin training teach...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Silva, Luciana Vieira Souza da, Siqueira, Rogério Monteiro de
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:Brasil
Institución:Sociedade Brasileira de História da Ciência (SBHC)
Repositorio:Revista Brasileira de História da Ciência (Online)
Idioma:portugués
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.rbhciencia.emnuvens.com.br:article/134
Acceso en línea:https://rbhciencia.emnuvens.com.br/revista/article/view/134
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Luigi Fantappiè
establishment of the University of São Paulo
autonomy of mathematics
professionalization of mathematics
Luigi Fantappiè, fundação da Universidade de São Paulo, autonomia das matemáticas, profissionalização das matemáticas
Descripción
Sumario:The main goal of this paper is to describe the strategies and practical measures adopted by Luigi Fantappiè, member of the Italian Mission that took part in the organization of both the mathematics and physics departments of the University of São Paulo, in the 1930s, in order to begin training teachers and researchers in mathematics in a way that was different and autonomous from engineering courses. Our work is based mainly on the report delivered by Fantappiè to the director of the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature (FFCL) in upon his return to Italy in 1939, also sent to the Italian government. The summary of his activities is here analyzed in comparison with interviews given by his students years after the establishment of the FFCL, and with official documents from the University of São Paulo in the 1930s. The general picture gained from this analysis is that the professionalization of mathematics and its autonomy from engineering was not achieved in an abrupt way, when the University was established, but was the result of a long and conflicting process of which Fantappiè was a key figure.