An excellent paper. However I can talk only about one its aspect: mathematics education. Here we have a peculiar issue: The traditional Indo-Arabic-West European tradition of elementary mathematics is becoming a thing of the past, a dinosaur's skeleton. It is killed by advance of smartphones of ever increasing computing power and AI. Last week I heard on quite representative seminars on mathematics education in two different countries: "Who needs long multiplication of decimals?" In this new environment, what is motivation for learning any one of dozens, perhaps, algorithms for multiplication developed by various cultures of the past and documented by ethnomathematicians? Some of these algorithms have a definite aesthetic value -- but ancient scripts for calligraphic handwriting also have aesthetic value. But nowadays, not only calligraphy, basic handwriting becomes so 20-th century. Interestingly, quite a lot of ethnomathematical stuff is discussed by the great Donald Knuth in his The Art of Computer Programming - but he also systematically studied calligraphy when developing TeX, his seminal typesetting system. But, it seems, for creation of TeX/LaTeX (lingua franca of dissemination of mathematics, computer science, physics) this had to be done *only once* and vastly contributed to the new culture of instantly reproducible computer-generated artifacts. The debate around decolonisaton of curriculum is akin to a quarrel on the deck of Titanic about the choice of a tune for the famous band which continued to play regardless. Mathematics education, with its huge cultural, social, political bulk, will be sinking slowly amidst growing panic and pain of its passengers (or “stakeholders”, in parlance of state bureaucracy): children, parents, teachers. -- Alexandre Borovik
In 2023 external debts (borrowed from foreign lenders) of countries with low and middle incomes stood at US$8.8 trillion, a record high. Surprisinly, I cannot find figures for low income counties. This is esse tial for understanding your paper. Could you please help?
Wow! What an insightful an provocative piece! It challenges those like myself who promote a gap between scholarship and activism. If all we do is window dressing (decolonising the maths curriculum) and fail to see the neo-colonialism, coloniality in our thinking, and even more fail to address and support the violent anticolonial struggles in the world, we are only salving our own consciences and not helping to better the human condition.
An excellent paper. However I can talk only about one its aspect: mathematics education. Here we have a peculiar issue: The traditional Indo-Arabic-West European tradition of elementary mathematics is becoming a thing of the past, a dinosaur's skeleton. It is killed by advance of smartphones of ever increasing computing power and AI. Last week I heard on quite representative seminars on mathematics education in two different countries: "Who needs long multiplication of decimals?" In this new environment, what is motivation for learning any one of dozens, perhaps, algorithms for multiplication developed by various cultures of the past and documented by ethnomathematicians? Some of these algorithms have a definite aesthetic value -- but ancient scripts for calligraphic handwriting also have aesthetic value. But nowadays, not only calligraphy, basic handwriting becomes so 20-th century. Interestingly, quite a lot of ethnomathematical stuff is discussed by the great Donald Knuth in his The Art of Computer Programming - but he also systematically studied calligraphy when developing TeX, his seminal typesetting system. But, it seems, for creation of TeX/LaTeX (lingua franca of dissemination of mathematics, computer science, physics) this had to be done *only once* and vastly contributed to the new culture of instantly reproducible computer-generated artifacts. The debate around decolonisaton of curriculum is akin to a quarrel on the deck of Titanic about the choice of a tune for the famous band which continued to play regardless. Mathematics education, with its huge cultural, social, political bulk, will be sinking slowly amidst growing panic and pain of its passengers (or “stakeholders”, in parlance of state bureaucracy): children, parents, teachers. -- Alexandre Borovik
Dear Alexandre, you always bring to my attention these outstanding references, many thanks for it. I will read it more careful tomorrow. On the debt numbers, this article could be a good starting point: https://www.rt.com/africa/614129-africa-debt-struggle-for-economic-liberation/
In 2023 external debts (borrowed from foreign lenders) of countries with low and middle incomes stood at US$8.8 trillion, a record high. Surprisinly, I cannot find figures for low income counties. This is esse tial for understanding your paper. Could you please help?
Wow! What an insightful an provocative piece! It challenges those like myself who promote a gap between scholarship and activism. If all we do is window dressing (decolonising the maths curriculum) and fail to see the neo-colonialism, coloniality in our thinking, and even more fail to address and support the violent anticolonial struggles in the world, we are only salving our own consciences and not helping to better the human condition.
Well said Paul!