4

Outstanding French mathematician had also his Brasilian chapter in his life (or two chapters?). I'd like to know more.

The en.wikipedia tells us that Yoccoz was born, raised and educated in France,

"Yoccoz attended the Lycée Louis-le-Grand,[3] during which time he was a silver medalist at the 1973 International Mathematical Olympiad and a gold medalist in 1974.[4][5] He entered the École Normale Supérieure in 1975, and completed an agrégation in mathematics in 1977.".

You'd think that he would immerse himself in mathematics totally. However, suddenly, he had completed military service in Brazil. How come?

"He joined the French Academy of Sciences and Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 1994, became a chevalier in the French Legion of Honor in 1995, and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Brazilian National Order of Scientific Merit in 1998."

Well, by this time, Yoccoz had so many mathematical and formal achievements that it is no wonder that he was celebrated also by Brasil (in view of his military service there).

Wlod AA
  • 193
  • 6

1 Answers1

5

At that time, France had compulsory military service for all males, but they could replace it by work in a school overseas.The French version of the Wikipedia article on Yoccoz specifies:

Pendant cette période, au début des années 1980, il effectue son service national en coopération à l’Instituto de Matematica Pura e Aplicada de Rio de Janeiro

That is: He did his National Service "in cooperation with" the Instituto de Matematica Pura e Aplicada in Rio de Janeiro.

fdb
  • 3,465
  • 13
  • 16
  • 1
    Thank you. Thus, after all, Yoccoz still stayed academic so-to-speak. – Wlod AA Dec 30 '19 at 18:04
  • It would be good for context to add that these “overseas” destinations were considered “developing” countries. In addition to Brazil, these destinations included the francophone Canadian province of Quebec. AFAI recall the people assigned overseas were known as “missionaries”. I guess colonialism dies hard. – ZeroTheHero Dec 31 '19 at 18:37
  • @ZeroTheHero. I have the impression that in the case of Yoccoz they rather bent the rules. – fdb Dec 31 '19 at 21:34
  • Probably not actually. This was rather "common" and one reason why Quebec universities were at one point "full" of French faculty. What is unusual is that Brazil - a non-francophone country with no colonial ties to France, was on the list of overseas missions but incredibly there is some special connection between France and Brazil that even now remains: I have French colleagues who are regularly invited to Sao Paulo or Rio within the context of some historical exchange program. Likewise I have Brazilian colleagues that have spent generously funded sabbaticals in France. – ZeroTheHero Dec 31 '19 at 23:31
  • (as an illustration of this unexpected ties between Brazil and France the Concorde operated Rio-Paris flights (via Dakar) as one of the inaugural routes, something equally unexpected... I can't seem AF making any $$ on this. ) – ZeroTheHero Dec 31 '19 at 23:36
  • Various Brazilian Universities were founded or developed in the 20ies and 30ies trying to follow the European examples, and in fact by hiring on long term position European professors, mainly from France, Germany and Italy. When, during WWII, Brazil sided with allied forces most Italians and Gemans travelled back to their countries and their place was taken but some of the many displaced French scientists that were abroad since Nazi's occupation of France. – Nicola Ciccoli Dec 18 '22 at 08:21