Alain Connes being a leading French mathematician today one could ask whether he is a member of the Bourbaki group. Is there a published reference that would either refute or confirm this?
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asked Mar 13, 2016 at 8:06
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2$\begingroup$ This is not good question in MO, try to ask this question in other stack $\endgroup$– user21574Commented Mar 13, 2016 at 8:40
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1$\begingroup$ This is stated in Wikipedia, but that could hardly count as a reference :) $\endgroup$– Alex DegtyarevCommented Mar 13, 2016 at 8:41
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4$\begingroup$ Thanks, but I don't think that it's worth it (posting this as an answer) :) $\endgroup$– Alex DegtyarevCommented Mar 13, 2016 at 8:57
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7$\begingroup$ I vote to reopen as I cannot see why it would be off-topic, and nobody gave a reason why it would be off-topic. It simply asks about a reference for a historical fact and history of math is on-topic; and past Bourbaki membership is also not kept private AFAIK, so in contrast to some other recent question there is not even this problem, and in any case it asks for a reference. $\endgroup$– user9072Commented Mar 13, 2016 at 19:26
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2$\begingroup$ Better suited for HSMSE? $\endgroup$– user37238Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 7:54
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2 Answers
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Connes was a member, according to M. Mashaal "Bourbaki: A secret society of mathematicians", AMS 2006 (translated from the French by A. Pierrehumbert). It says so on page 18; see the link. But, as was also mentioned there, there is a rule that members retire at age 50, so by that rule he is no longer a member.
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Let's hear from Connes himself. This video (in french, sorry) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqR459KxDVU&t=36s (featuring Serre, Dixmier, Cartier, and Connes) explains the the genesis of Bourbaki (over a +70-year period!), with an accent on membership and the historical circumstances around the recruitment of certain notable members (e.g Serre, Borel, Grothendieck). You'll also find details about the recruitment of Alain Connes (the interviewer), though this is not the focus of the conversation.
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$\begingroup$ Great video! The discussion features only Connes and Serre, and I couldn't find details about Connes's Bourbaki membership. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2021 at 13:17
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1$\begingroup$ @FrançoisBrunault Good catch. Indeed The video I linked was mistakenly a video in which Connes interviews Serre on the Serre-Grothendieck correspondences. I've corrected the link to the one on the interview by Connes, of Serre, Dixmier, and Cartier about Bourbaki. $\endgroup$– dohmatobCommented Feb 24, 2021 at 13:21
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2$\begingroup$ @FrançoisBrunault Not related to the question, but If you liked those videos, then this one might also be interesting to you youtube.com/watch?v=Lm77dq0kXGc. It's a Cartier on prehistoric Grothendieck, or how he murdered functional analysis youtube.com/watch?v=Lm77dq0kXGc $\endgroup$– dohmatobCommented Feb 24, 2021 at 13:29