A visit to Hungarian mathematics (Q2365831)

During the Sixth International Congress on Mathematical Education held in Budapest in July 1988 the authors decided to investigate why Hungary, a relatively small country, produced a large number of distinguished mathematicians in the period between the world wars. Their methodology was informal, consisting of conversations with Hungarian mathematicians. They attempt to account for this wonderful mathematical productivity by studying the historical, pedagogical, and social-political aspects of the Hungarian mathematical community. They draw connections between the emancipation from Austrian rule, the emancipation of the Jews in Hungary, and the subsequent flowering of Hungarian culture in all areas of intellectual endeavor. Such explanatory schema the authors call type 2 explanations, as opposed to institutional explanations (type 1) such as the founding of journals and the establishment of areas of research. The article makes for extremely interesting reading.