‘Quasi-Boolean Algebra and Foundations of Topology:’ Chinese Mathematical Logician Hu Shihua and the Group of Münster

This paper investigates a less well-known aspect of the history of mathematical logic as advanced by the ‘group of Münster’ in the late 1930s by analysing the work of one of their international members, Hu Shihua. By deconstructing and re-evaluating the main conceptual ingredients of Hu’s doctoral research and placing his work into the context of mathematical logic in Münster, the article also aims to provide some substantial insights into trends and developments in international mathematics and logic in the late 1930s, particularly the diverse developments underlying the early formation of algebraic topology and related fields. Additionally, one of the primary aims of this paper is to provide a concise account of the content and contextual background of Hu Shihua’s formative studies in mathematical logic. This is motivated by the fact that, given Hu’s quintessential role in Chinese mathematical logic in the years following his studies in Münster, a better understanding of his scholarly background may provide significant insights into the history of the discipline during the early socialist period in China (1949-1960s).