Historian Carlos Guilherme Mota, professor emeritus at USP, dies

Historian Carlos Guilherme Mota, 85, professor emeritus at FFLCH (Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences) at USP, passed away last Wednesday (20), aged 85.

A central name in contemporary Brazilian historiography and a pioneer in the study of ideologies and mentalities in the country, Mota leaves a legacy of more than 30 published books.

Theoretical contribution and major works
Under the influence of intellectuals such as Emília Viotti da Costa and Fernando Novais - with whom he wrote the work "The Political Independence of Brazil" -, Mota broke with merely factual history to focus on power structures and the thinking of elites. His transition to the discipline combined his philosophical vocation with historical research.

"Actually, I wanted to be a philosopher, but I had few classes to teach. Then I saw that in history I could also do philosophy. And that's why I got into the study of mentalities", declared the historian to Jornal da USP in 2017.

His critical vision also extended to the political role of academia; In a statement recorded in 2018, the professor discussed the university's actions in the face of the events of 1968, the year AI-5 was introduced.

Pioneering and management at USP
Graduated in history from USP in 1963, Mota completed his master's degree in 1967, his doctorate in modern and contemporary history in 1970 and became a full professor in 1975.

His institutional leadership was consolidated in 1986, during the administration of rector José Goldemberg, when Mota led the group of professors that founded the IEA (Institute of Advanced Studies) at USP, serving as its first director until 1988.

The space was designed to be transdisciplinary and open to external intellectuals. Years later, in April 2014, Guita and José Mindlin took over the direction of the Biblioteca Brasiliana. The institution's definitive recognition came in 2009, when he received the title of Professor Emeritus from FFLCH.

International and national activities
The relevance of Carlos Guilherme Mota went beyond the borders of USP. On the international scene, the historian collects achievements that marked his academic career.

He served on the committee of the Latin American Studies Program at Princeton University; in France, he held the position of director of studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, in Paris. In the classroom, he taught as a visiting professor and consultant at the universities of London, Texas and Salamanca.

While in Brazil, he also contributed heavily to other major educational institutions, serving as a full professor at Unicamp and a professor at FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas) and Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.

The wake took place this Thursday (21) at the Funeral Home, in the Bela Vista neighborhood, in São Paulo.

USP is the university in Brazil that contributes most to the UN SDGs

Source: CNN