The denied memory

In this essay, the authors investigate the reasons why the memory of a well-established early nineteenth-century mathematical school – the so-called Neapolitan synthetic school or Fergola’s school – was lost in in the thirty years following the unification of Italy. The damnatio memoriae of Fergola’s school is an intriguing historical question, which becomes even more captivating if one considers that it is not the unique instance of oblivion of a Neapolitan scientist in those years. The authors show that this episode of damnatio memoriae is to be seen in the context of the condemnation and oblivion of the Bourbon government, which played and plays an important role in Italy’s nation-building. The second part of this book includes six appendices with documents useful for the understanding of the history of the synthetic school.