18.00, Wednesday 8th October, 2025
Barnard’s Inn Hall, London and Online
Free to attend, pre-registration encouraged
Please join us for the annual British Society for the History of Mathematics – Gresham College joint lecture. This year we will hear from Professor Caroline Ehrhardt (Université Paris 8), on: How Does Mathematics Last? Heritage and Heritage-making in Mathematics
How is mathematical knowledge recorded and preserved across generations? Contrary to the idea that mathematics itself is somehow ‘permanent’, in this talk we will explore heritage-making in mathematics, that is the people, institutions, and material objects that can give mathematical ideas longevity. The heritage-making found in two very different types of French nineteenth-century libraries will be explored: those of famous mathematicians and those of secondary schools. Special focus will be put on how the recording – and forgetting – of mathematical ideas is influenced by their publishing, political, and intellectual contexts.
Booking to attend is now open: You can register through Gresham College here.
PhD students who would like to join the speaker for dinner after the lecture, please contact the BSHM Meetings Co-ordinator at brigitte.stenhouse@bshm.ac.uk.
Past lectures can be watched online on youtube and via the Gresham College website.
