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Truth, Power and Capitalist Accumulation in Mathematics Education

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Sociopolitical Dimensions of Mathematics Education

Part of the book series: ICME-13 Monographs ((ICME13Mo))

Abstract

In this chapter I raise a set of questions intended to make us reflect on our work as researchers, namely in the way we propagate and naturalise common assumptions or truths about mathematics education, as well as the mechanisms of power that makes it difficult for us to see beyond these well-accepted truths. I suggest that some of the forces that impact upon and restrict socially just outcomes for mathematics education are not just “external”, that is, originated outside the mathematics education community, but also, and perhaps more importantly for us, from the way research itself addresses the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools. Instead of positing ourselves as the beautiful souls of mathematics education, my invitation is for us to posit ourselves as part of the problem, and be willing to address some of our ideological assumptions before relegating to the social and political world the causes of our discontentment. For this purpose, I will rely on Foucault’s and Lacan’s works on the notion of truth, as a way to explore the role that contemporary mathematics education plays within capitalism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This is particularly the case with primary teachers who, besides mathematics, have to teach all the other subjects.

  2. 2.

    See, for instance, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Sweden curriculums, where enjoyment is posited as one of the main goals for the teaching and learning of mathematics: “the subject aims at pupils experiencing delight in developing their mathematical creativity, and the ability to solve problems, as well as experience something of the beauty and logic of mathematics” (Utbildningsdepartementet 2000).

  3. 3.

    An exception are the works or Roberto Baldino and Tânia Cabral.

  4. 4.

    Suffice to think about the hysterical reaction every time someone suggests an increase in social benefits, a reduction of the working hours, or a public investment in public healthcare and education.

  5. 5.

    The history of modern science is rich in episodes that show how difficult it is for results that do not fit into a certain stablished worldview to be accepted—Copernicus’ model of the universe is perhaps the most well-known example, but we can also mention the introduction of non-Euclidian geometries and non-standard analysis in mathematics, Darwin’s theory of natural evolution in biology, Marx’s works on political economy or Freud’s studies of the human psyche.

  6. 6.

    In this sense, capital is creative potential, a specific form of vitalism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Alexandre Pais

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  1. Alexandre Pais
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Correspondence to Alexandre Pais .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Murad Jurdak

  2. School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

    Renuka Vithal

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Pais, A. (2018). Truth, Power and Capitalist Accumulation in Mathematics Education. In: Jurdak, M., Vithal, R. (eds) Sociopolitical Dimensions of Mathematics Education. ICME-13 Monographs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72610-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72610-6_6

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