Shozo Motoyama (1940-2021), several traditions

September, 2021

Shozo Motoyama in 2020, at the Historical Museum of Japanese Immigration in São Paulo, Brazil. Source: Revista Pesquisa Fapesp

The new edition of História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos (n3, Jul-Sept 2021) honors the historian of science Shozo Motoyama, who died on January 26, 2021, at the age of 81. He was full professor of History of Science at the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Humanities of the University of São Paulo (FFLCH-USP)

Shozo Motoyama (1940-2021) was a forceful defender of the history of science in Brazil. The son of Japanese immigrants, Motoyama started his undergraduate degree in physics in 1964 at the University of São Paulo (USP), during a difficult period, including a military coup, and heated debates. He defended his dissertation in the Postgraduate Program in Social History in 1971. A post-doctoral thesis at USP and post-doctorate research in cosmic ray laboratories in Japan – the University of Tokyo and Waseda University – completed his interdisciplinary training.

“The entirety of these experiences allow us to recognize, in the writings of Professor Shozo Motoyama, his various books and articles, the link between the socio-political concepts related to overcoming Brazilian underdevelopment, especially in the context of the 1960s and 1970s, in which Brazil sought, through economic planning, international cooperation and incentives for science and technology, to increase the number of jobs, expand the country’s production capacity and, thus, improve the quality of life in Brazil”