Ethnomathematics
Ethnomathematics is a field that examines the relationship between mathematics and culture, focusing on how different societies develop their own mathematical systems in relation to their particular histories, environments, and needs. The term was created by Brazilian mathematician Ubiratan D'Ambrosio in the 1970s, and ethnomathematics researches mathematical thought and practice in different cultures. Nevertheless, there are several different but allied definitions of ethnomathematics, ranging from the mathematics practiced in different cultures to how it is learned within different cultures. The field argues against the belief that mathematics is an absolute universal science, instead holding that mathematical knowledge is usually socially and historically conditioned. Ethnomathematics acknowledges that mathematical thinking and problem-solving are present in some form across civilizations, from native number systems to architectural design patterns in ancient structures. Beyond that, ethnomathematics is more than just a question of finding other number systems or geometric shapes. It goes into measurement methods, classification, and understanding spatial relationships. It examines how different groups solve problems in their everyday lives, whether through navigation, agriculture, trade, or art.
Traditional mathematics curricula often present ideas in a general, abstract manner, which may appear quite distant from the day-to-day lives of students. For example, presenting geometric concepts through the context of Islamic tile patterns or building probability through traditional games from various cultures assists students in seeing mathematical ideas in familiar, meaningful ways. Not only does it generate interest, but it also makes students aware of how mathematics develops as a response to different social necessities. Ethnomathematics also helps one value diverse contributions to mathematical knowledge.
Conventional curricula tend to show mathematics as a progression of breakthroughs by predominantly European thinkers, which validates the notion that Western mathematics is the only, or the most advanced, form of mathematical thought. However, much of the mathematics credited to European mathematicians is of non-European origin. The Pythagorean theorem, for instance, is traditionally attributed to the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, but similar relations between the sides of a right triangle were known and used in Babylonian, Indian, and Chinese mathematics centuries before. Likewise, Pascal's Triangle appears in 11th-century Chinese mathematical texts and in the descriptions of a Sanskrit mathematician, centuries earlier than Blaise Pascal's 17th-century treatment of binomial coefficients. Knowing that many formulas, theorems, and methods had their beginnings in other cultures can work to redefine the way that history is understood. It demands a shift from the view of mathematics as a neutral, culture-free science to an awareness of it as an active field under historical and social influences.
