The Jewish Mathematical Diaspora from Fascist Italy

Delving into previously undisclosed archival sources, this monograph offers a meticulously researched portrayal of Italian Jewish mathematicians amidst the turmoil sparked by the 1938 Italian Racial Laws. Forced migration due to fascist anti-Semitism saw the exodus of numerous Jewish intellectuals. Highlighting the experiences of select academic mathematicians such as Guido Fubini, Gino Fano, Beniamino Segre, Alessandro Terracini, and others who fled Italy, this work casts a light on a diaspora that presents unique aspects thanks to pre-existing networks of international scientific solidarity. Despite challenges stemming from language, society, and institutions, their narratives reveal the profound human dimensions of adversity, choice, and camaraderie.
Suitable for scholars and students of 20th-century history, as well as a wider audience intrigued by Italy's complex past, these pages offer invaluable insights into a dark chapter of the country's history.

Erika Luciano is professor of history of mathematics at the Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences of the University of Torino, Italy. Her research focuses on social history of mathematics and science, considered as human enterprises, in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2022 Luciano has been awarded the international prize for young researchers in history of mathematics by the Italian Mathematical Union and the Italian Society for the History of Mathematics.