ABSTRACT
The notion of a mathematical structure is a most pervasive and central one in twentieth century mathematics. Over several decades of this century, many mathematical disciplines, particularly those belonging to the ‘pure’ realm, developed under the conception that the aim of research is the elucidation of certain structures associated with them. At certain periods of time, especially from the 1950s to the 1970s, it was not uncommon in universities around the world to conceive the ideal professional formation of young mathematicians in terms of a gradual mastering of the various structures that were considered to embody the hard-core of mathematics.
