This text focuses on the life and work of Bento de Jesus Caraça, Portuguese mathematician and educator, who lived during the first half of the XXth Century and much influenced the Mathematics Education field in countries whose spoken language is Portuguese. Marking the centenary of his birth, some of his important biographic excerpts are interwoven and by doing this we attempt to construct a view of this important character. He may be viewed through the humanistic meaning of his life as well as through the educational impact of his work which is still current. It is important for us to make clear the existing coherent relation between his socialist convictions and his practice as an educator. This relationship is shown to be a result mainly of his dialectical interpretation of history and the production of knowledge.
mathematics education; Bento de Jesus Caraça; dialectic interpretation of history; education and socialism; production of knowledge