L’Unione degli scienziati per il disarmo e il pacifismo italiano nelle carte di Paolo Farinella (1982-1998)

This paper examines the role of the Italian Union of Scientists for Disarmament (Uspid) during Italian pacifism of the 1980s and 1990s through the papers of the astrophysicist Paolo Farinella, which are housed in the archives of the University of Pisa. After contextualising the founding of the association within the political atmosphere of the Euromissile crisis, the paper presents the main activities of the Pisa section – research, teaching, popularization – and highlights the role of the University as a space for critical debate on the issue of nuclear arms control. Besides evidencing Farinella's contribution to the debate on relations between science, technology and armed conflict, the records show how the activities of Uspid associates contributed to the progressive spread of Peace Studies and their academic recognition, up until the founding of the University of Pisa's Interdisciplinary Centre for Peace Sciences (Cisp) in 1998.