Historian Carlos Guilherme Mota, professor emeritus and winner of the Machado de Assis Prize, died at the age of 85 this Wednesday (20). The death was reported by the family to Editora 34, which publishes the author’s works.
Born in São Paulo in 1941, Mota graduated in History from USP in 1963, completed a master’s degree in modern and contemporary history there in 1967 and completed his doctorate, also at USP, in 1970.
He was a full professor of contemporary history at FFLCH (Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences) at USP, where he was professor emeritus, and was a full professor at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, where he taught cultural history at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism and chaired the Scientific Committee.
His academic career focused on the history of culture and ideologies, with research into architecture, urbanism, law and mentalities.
Mota was the founder and first director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at USP. He also served as a full professor at IFCH (Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences) at Unicamp, directed the São Paulo State Archive and was among the founders of the Memorial da América Latina.
In 2009, he was named professor emeritus at USP. Two years later, he was awarded the Machado de Assis Prize for lifetime achievement by the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
FFLCH-USP published a note lamenting the historian’s death.
The wake will take place this Thursday (21), from 9am to 3pm, at the Funeral Home, on Rua São Carlos do Pinhal, 376, in the Bela Vista neighborhood, in São Paulo.
