Dibattiti nella comunità dei matematici italiani. L’apporto dell’Archivio dell’Unione Matematica Italiana

The recent reorganization of the Historical Archive of the Italian Mathematical Union (UMI) has made available to scholars a considerable multitude of documents that shed new light on some aspects of the history of the Union, on its relationships with other national and international institutions, and on the increasing connections with the Fascist government. In our paper we highlight the ‘traces’ that emerge from the examination of the Archive documents and add new details on two key moments of the history of the UMI: the phase of the creation and consolidation, and the period that culminates with the enactment of racial laws in 1938. With regard to the first phase we intend to document the doubts and concerns of a part of the Italian mathematical community about the creation of the new institution, the ambiguous position of Volterra, and the central role of the president of the UMI Salvatore Pincherle. We also investigate the national and international political reasons underlying this situation. We will then highlight the first traces of subjugation to Fascism of the Italian mathematical community, starting in February 1926 and showing the progressive subordination of mathematicians to the Regime, which through an uninterrupted series of silences and concessions, led the UMI, after the racial laws, to commit a true ‘crime of prostitution’ with regard to Fascism. Our aim is to tell the facts by allowing the papers from the sealed files of the UMI Historical Archive to speak, and bringing out through them the behavior of the leading group of the Union, and in particular of Enrico Bompiani. This research, although limited to only two historical moments, clearly shows the great importance of the UMI Archive not only for mathematicians, but in general for scholars of history of science and of scientific institutions, as well as for those who are concerned with the dynamics of circulation and socialization of mathematical knowledge.