Ethnomathematics - What Next?
Sat February 22nd, 2003 10:48 MSTMathematics is the same everywhere in the world. It is a true universal language.
But some folks are upset about it, because of its Western roots.
So now we get Ethnomathematics!
From the New York Times (free subscription required), we learn:
The only possibility of building up a planetary civilization depends on restoring the dignity of the losers.” Robert N. Proctor, who teaches the history of science at Pennsylvania State University, says he wants to counter the notion ”that the West is the be all and end all” when it comes to mathematical studies. ”After all,” he adds, ”all math is ethnomath — not just African kinship numerics or Peruvian bead counting, but also the C.I.A.’s number-crunching cryptology and Reaganomics.”
Is he aware of the many contributions to modern mathematics by Asians? Why weren’t they deterred by “western” math?
The non-West are “losers?” This is very revealing about the arrogant attitude of the multiculturalists!
If this sort of thinking becomes widespread (and it’s impact is now in the New York City “education” system), the already low enrollment of Americans in mathematically related fields (science and engineering) will just get worse.
By the way…
Reaganomics is ethnomath? ? ? I always thought it was economics. Oh, and the crypography is done by the NSA, not the CIA. Perhaps factss are not important to a post-modern professor of history!
What’s this, ebonics making headwayin math now?
But seriously, the guy really doesn’t know what he’s talking about, India is traditionally strong in mathematics, that’s why there are so msny Indians in IT.
That should have been “headway in math”
Absolutely - lots of Indians in math and physics - not to mention Chinese. I think when he says loser he really means “africans.” That is how the multiculturalists in the United States normally think - they just don’t admit it.
“The tyranny of Western mathematical standards.”
If you ever needed a better example of why MacDonald’s employees need to have little pictures of the food on
See Thomas Sowell for complete, logical sensible explanation.
A while back, I saw and commented on a posting on another blog about a kindler, gentler software engineering course for women, so apparently math isn’t alone.
Ron Eglash, mentioned in the article, has lots of examples here: http://www.rpi.edu/~eglash/eglash.htm
I think this field is concerned more with the History of Mathematics and its teaching than with Mathematics itself. For instance, the study of fractals themselves is pretty much devoid of reference to any culture, however he appears to want to point out that African crafts employed fractals.
If it get people studying math, that’s a good thing. If, however, they reject more advanced studies and think that the particular math involved in old artifacts represents the entirety of that subject, then this is a bad thing.
Believe it or not this is nothing new.
In sixth grade I was fortunate enough to get an introduction into “ethnomath” from what could have been the flakiest teacher/professor of my academic career (which, to this point includes Law School). The class spent approximately a month learning about the Mayan numerical system and how different cultures “interpret” math. Meanwhile, the students who were being instructed by the other math teacher were busy learning pre-Algebra and elementary geometry. Luckily I was fortunate enough to have parents who could afford to spring for a tutor who was only aware of the evil-white male-patriarchical interpretation of math.
k… math was developped by greeks, egyptians, arabs, persians, indians, chinese… in omst cases including archaic and modern inventions… europe, russia, and america have also contributed significantly to modern math.. mayans did some cool stuff, but never got used widely because we’d surpassed it by the time we heard about it/figured out the writing, and their systems are kinda screwy (as were babylonians.. but we’ve had 5k years to integrate that crap)
math is the best place to showcase different contributions over time… africa hasn’t done much cause math requires secure and stable environment over the long term (you hungry you don’t research math…)
bah!
blithwapping:
Using anything BUT a hammer to hammer a nail into the
wall, such as shoes, lamp bases, doorstops, etc.
– “Sniglets”, Rich Hall & Friends
tramadol