Durham University’s decolonization campaign has swept the mathematics department, where all staff are called upon to make the subject “more comprehensive” and to ensure that “mathematics can be used to help efforts to ensure equality”. His new guide for academics says that “colonizing the mathematics curriculum means taking into account the cultural backgrounds of the mathematical concepts, foci and notation we use most often.” Fellows at Russell Group, the seventh-largest university in the United Kingdom in mathematics, were asked to reconsider how “the power of 10, represented by the word” billion “varies from country to country” and how Brahmagupta, the famous Indian mathematician, attaches different meaning to the value of zero. They are told that “the question of whether we have allowed Western mathematicians to dominate our field is no less important than whether we have allowed Western writers to dominate the field of literature.” “It may be even more important, if only because mathematics is rather more central to the advancement of science than literature,” says the colonization guide. Staff are encouraged to consider giving short biographies of the mathematicians whose work is presented in their sections and are encouraged to ask if they choose mainly “white and / or male” figures. If the mathematicians are “almost entirely (or even completely) white and / or men, ask yourself why this is happening,” says the guide.
“Scratch the Titanic, use Maori lawyers instead”
And when using real-world examples to illustrate math puzzles, staff are encouraged to “consider if you can present the box outside of a western reference box.” Giving an example of statistical modules, the guide says Simpson’s paradox is often illustrated using Titanic survivors and US university enrollment, but an alternative that “decentralizes Europe” includes “Maori under-representation on New Zealand jury groups” ». . On Friday, researchers questioned whether it was appropriate to confuse objective mathematical discipline with subjective approaches in the past. Professor Doug Stokes, a social science professor at the University of Exeter, told The Telegraph: “The idea behind the decolonization of mathematics is that because everyone should be considered equal, the state of their beliefs should also be equal. “This critical relativism is a reversal of science based on what is real instead of making everyone feel contained. “Science and logic are what have driven humanity out of darkness and we are throwing their precious light into danger.” Durham’s new guide refers scholars to “ethnomatics”, a new discipline emerging on the campuses of connecting mathematics with culture, saying that “mathematics and culture are not always confused”. Examples include the “American version that won” with 10 ^ 9, for a power of ten represented by one billion, which was different from the British 10 ^ 12. Emphasizing the contributions of Indian mathematicians, the handbook concludes that “then it may be inaccurate to suggest that mathematics is a world language” and scholars should ensure that the industry “is truly global by honestly assessing the failures of the industry.” – in the past and in the present – to work towards this goal “. Leading historians have described decolonization as “anti-intellectual.” Last month, the Conservative leader said in a speech on the culture of annulment that a West “confident in its values” would not “be obsessed with pronouns nor actually seek to colonize mathematics.” Like most British universities, many departments in Durham have set up colonization panels. Durham University Business School said that by 2022/23, no student will be able to complete a degree there “without significant exposure” to decolonization issues. A spokesman for Durham University said: “Mathematics in Durham is a rigorous and comprehensive discipline. “The mathematics curriculum that our students learn remains the same, but we also encourage students to become more aware of the global and diverse origins of the course and the range of cultural contexts that have shaped it. “Two plus two will always be equal to four.” In December 2021, Durham became embroiled in a controversy over freedom of speech following a student outing during a speech by Rod Liddle, an associate of The Spectator publisher, who was accused by students of being “transphobic, sexist, racist and class comments “. The incident led Professor Tim Luckhurst, founder of the University’s South College Principal, to call the students “passionate.”
