The Methodological Proposal of the Italian Nineteenth-Century Geographer Giuseppe De Luca: The Passage from the Simple to the Complex

Abstract

Giuseppe De Luca, Italian scholar, born in Cardinale, municipality of the province of Catanzaro, in 1823, and died in Naples in 1895, has the merit of having institutionalized the teaching of Geography at the Naples University1 . A versatile scholar with several interests, thanks to his cartographic competence acquired when he was the official cartographer for the Real Navy, De Luca held the academic Chair of Geography and Statistics from 1861 to 1885. As soon as he was appointed as full professor, De Luca also carried out the functions of Rector at the Neapolitan University during 1862-1863, committing himself to renewing its structure and organization. For this reason, he developed a particular interest in didactics and the training of teachers of every order. Having finished his assignment, from 1863 and for over twenty years, he concentrated his effort to scientific systematization of geography and its promulgation. He established scientific relationships on the national and international scale and actively participated to geographical congresses and disciplinary organizations, becoming one of the promoters of the Italian Geographical Society constitution.