Why do we need the history of mathematical teaching

Luigi Pepe’s recent book, Insegnare matematica, retraces the history of mathematics education in Italy, not from the point of view of how it was planned, but rather how it was actually carried out, reprising a project now put into effect for various countries. Mathematics has almost always been a globalized discipline: Archimedes from Sicily and Apollonius from Turkey went to study in Alexandria in Egypt. On the other hand, it must be said that mathematics is very much a part of the culture of a nation and although Italy has its own peculiarities due to its long tradition in the humanities, it cannot be denied that mathematical sciences played a big role in its culture. Italian was the first of the languages still spoken today used to write a work on mathematics. In their own way, the Jesuits and other religious orders gave a cultural unity to Italians for almost three centuries, since they formed the ruling class.