Exploring the History of Economic Thought: A Journey at the Delfim Netto Library
Delfim Netto Library, located at the Faculty of Economics, Administration, Accounting and Actuarial Science (FEA) at USP, has historical works in its collection, such as original books by Adam Smith and John Keynes. The place represents a milestone for valuing the collection of Professor Emeritus, Antônio Delfim Netto , and begins the celebration of the ten years of its inauguration. Alexandre Macchione Saes, professor at FEA/USP and director of the Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita and José Mindlin, is responsible for the exhibition and comments on the content and operation of the event.
The exposure
The site has a collection of more than 100,000 books and 90,000 magazines, in addition to a set of compendiums — studies carried out based on scientific articles, which seek to synthesize content. In the expert’s view, this establishes it as one of the most important libraries in the economic area in Brazil.
Saes explains that, to select the titles for the exhibition, a thematic choice was made, producing a journey through the history of economic thought. “As we can see from his collection, he sought throughout his life to build a collection that looked at classical debates, but which also updated itself, at each historical moment, to major contemporary themes”, comments the researcher .
Therefore, a study guide was created that helps both beginners in the subject and those looking to delve deeper into a specific topic — pointing out the possibility of research through new texts and debates. The program has around 150 books, which tell 500 years of the history of economic thought.
Symbology of Delfim Netto
For Saes, the FEA library has a particularity that differentiates it from others, since, in addition to having technical economic studies, it has studies in other areas, such as philosophy and sociology. “He has a broad view of the meaning of the economy, it is not a science per se, but a space for political dispute that has a large scope in dialogues with the social sciences”, he analyzes.
The compendiums convey the construction of contemporary themes from the author’s perspective, through comparisons between past and present. Saes highlights that current topics such as women’s economics, environmentalism and even Covid-19 are part of the economist’s repertoire.