ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Promath – A Prosopographical Take on the Development of the Mathematical Elite in Germany 1920-1960

• In Event: Transformations of Mathematics in the 20th Century

English Abstract

How did the political crises of the early 20th century – marked by the years 1933 and 1945 – affect the disciplinary development of mathematics in Germany? This is the leading question of the DFG-research project 'Political crises and disciplinary development. Mathematics in Germany, 1920-1960' ('Promath'), located at the University of Wuppertal and focussing especially on the personnel and thematic character of the mathematical elite affiliated with German universities during the respective time span. The Promath approach combines quantitative prosopographical and bibliometrical methods, aiming at a detailed mapping of mathematics within the German university system. Beyond that, Promath develops methodological best practices for modern quantitative prosopography, in order to establish a common ground for a 'comparative prosopography' of multiple disciplines in the history of science.
In my talk, I am going to give a short introduction into Promath and its methodology, followed by a comparative analysis of the development of the mathematical elite in Germany in the three periods of the Weimar Republic (1920-1933), the Nazi regime (1933-1945) and the postwar period (1945-1960): How strong was the impact of the years 1933 and 1945 regarding the elitist staff at German universities? Which universities were leading in recruiting or publishing in certain subfields and how did their corresponding thematic profiles differ? To what extent did the development of thematic trends in the publications reflect external factors like the war directed politics of the Nazi regime? Which conclusions can be drawn from the Promath data and which not?
Addressing these questions, the talk will provide insights into the potentials and limits of prosopographical approaches in the history of science in general and history of mathematics in special.

Author

• Tim Lork, University of Wuppertal