Ditadura, repressão e resistência: o caso de Maria Laura Mouzinho Leite Lopes (1919-2013)

Abstract

The civil-military dictatorship in Brazil, which began in 1964, had a significant impact on public institutions, especially universities. Repression within these institutional spaces was a reality from the outset of the authoritarian regime, including persecutions, censorship, compulsory retirements, expulsions, arrests, torture, and the assassination of university professors. Among the forty-six faculty members dismissed by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) during the period from 1964 to 1985, one of them was Maria Laura Mouzinho Leite Lopes (1919-2013), a prominent Brazilian mathematician. Using a qualitative and microhistorical approach, this study analyzes her trajectory, exploring her journey from childhood to the consequences of the dictatorship on her academic and professional life. Maria Laura faced challenges such as political persecution and exile during the authoritarian regime, and despite adversity, she maintained her commitment to education, making significant contributions to the field of Mathematics Education both abroad and in the country. Her legacy represents not only a story of survival and resistance but also a testimony to the power of education and science in resisting times of political and social repression, inspiring future generations to defend the values of academic autonomy and critical thinking.