The Schenberg’s Work and the Beginning of Physics Research in Brazil: Political Context, Institutional Projects, and Dynamics of Knowledge Production

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the first researches in Physics held at the University of São Paulo (USP), an institution that would become a reference in Brazil. Three important dimensions that characterize the episode are considered: i) The Sociopolitical Context: São Paulo's political and economic elite seeks to restore this state as the most influential of the nation; ii) The Institutional Context: The first generation of USP intellectuals was formed from the missions in Europe led by Theodoro Ramos. The Italian mission first brought Gleb Wataghin to Brazil and, four years later, Giuseppe Occialini; iii) The Scientific Context: the arrival of foreign professors inserts USP in a context of international circulation of knowledge. Cosmic rays, a prominent theme in the researches carried out, are of worldwide relevance to Nuclear Physics. The development of the research is based on documentation of the Physics Institute archive, focusing mainly on the initial work of Mario Schenberg, first physics full professor. A narrative that seeks to make evident tensions between the three presented dimensions is established as the main result. Seeking to move away from a linear narrative that establishes very immediate causalities between historical occurrences, the work shows that the dynamics of knowledge production carried out at USP oscillate between works that seek to place Physics in an international context and others that try to establish dialogues with the traditions previously present, especially the works produced by engineers.