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“The center of mathematics shifted quickly during the Nazi era and in the wake of World War II. Courant, Weyl and others helped move it to the U.K. and the U.S.
by highfrequency 2y ago
“The center of mathematics shifted quickly during the Nazi era and in the wake of World War II. Courant, Weyl and others helped move it to the U.K. and the U.S., where most of the top-ranked mathematics programs are located today.”
One of many instances in history where a city’s rise to prominence was kicked off by political turmoil or religious persecution in the leading city of the previous era. For example: immigration of merchants and weavers from Belgium to the Netherlands following Spanish occupation and the Fall of Antwerp, Huguenot emigration from France during the French Wars of Religion, etc.
When trying to answer the question of why a certain city/country/company started becoming successful, it’s often a good starting point to ask who moved there and what skills and experience did they bring, rather than mistaking it as a static group of individuals.
Another corollary: it really pays to be a tolerant, stable and welcoming country. When other countries do stupid things you can benefit from an inflow of talent and experience.
- karmakurtisaani 2y agoAlso it's probably important that the immigrants come after a turmoil, so their lives and research are reorganized, getting rid of political/hierarchical baggage and starting fresh with other top minds.
- est31 2y agoAnother example is Bavaria, which used to be a poorly developed place until the post-ww2 immigration of Germans from the east happened.
- crossroadsguy 2y agoI wonder in today's times what country(ies) such scholars would move to if they were affected by extreme right wing persecution in their own countries, seeing that the wave is strong almost everywhere, especially in the country that was pretty much the the destination for last migration i.e starting 1930s from Europe.
- EnigmaFlare 2y agoWasn't Israel invented to provide that? It's hard to think of a more effective immigration policy than "free entry for Jews".
- snowpid 2y agoGermany? You meets lots of Turkish and Russian Academia here.
- IG_Semmelweiss 2y agoChinese scholars are running away from left communist china into the US The "progressive" left of today is quickly running out those same asian (and other) scientists out of US and CAN universities, via social media mob lynching and DEI inquisitions. Im not seeing any right wing movement playing out with the same dynamics. Where are these institutions affected by right wing persecution?
- TulliusCicero 2y ago> Another corollary: it really pays to be a tolerant, stable and welcoming country. Yup. The US has a pretty incredible history of brain draining European countries when they become intolerant or living there became otherwise intolerable. So many inventors in the states were brilliant immigrants.