The physicist’s racist statements are reported in a book that recounts his trip to South America in 1925
In 1925, physicist Albert Einstein visited South America. He visited Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, but seemed to have come against his wishes. This is what the statements written by himself reveal. At the time, for example, he wrote a letter to a friend complaining about the trip: “I have no desire to meet semi-cultured Indians who use tobacco.” In his diary, he called a researcher from Rio de Janeiro a “legitimate monkey”.
The racist statements are collected in the book”Albert Einstein’s travel diaries: South America“. The editing was done by Ze’ev Rosenkranz, who has worked with Einstein’s letters and diaries since 1988.
In a newspaper interview Folha de S. Paulohe explained that “these writings present a more complete picture of Einstein, highlighting his limitations.” He describes Einstein as “a 19th century man” who had racism as “part of his biological worldview”.
For him, the 1925 travel diaries are among the researcher’s most “authentic” documents, since they were written for personal purposes – with no intention of being published.
In the case of this trip to South America, Einstein decided to grant his trip to the region after insistence from the scientific and Jewish communities. Another factor that made him travel was the desire to distance himself from the secretary with whom he was having an affair and, at the time, wanted to separate.
He stayed from March to May between Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The trip produced 43 pages written in a lined notebook.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
