Multiple Forms of Knowing in Mathematics: A Scoping Literature Study

TL;DR

This paper reviews ethnomathematics and Indigenous mathematics literature to map development stages, categorize cultural mathematical practices, and address challenges in decoding non-Western mathematical knowledge.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive mapping of ethnomathematical research stages and categories, aiding decolonization and understanding of Indigenous mathematical practices.

Findings

Identified 20 categories of Indigenous cultural activities with mathematical design.

Mapped three development stages of ethnomathematical research from 1984 to 2023.

Cluster analysis of keywords addresses challenges in decoding non-Western mathematics.

Abstract

We present a scoping review of published literature on ethnomathematics and Indigenous mathematics as a step towards a goal to decolonize the prevailing Eurocentric view of the provenance of mathematics. Mathematical practices were identified globally from 169 included studies. We map three development stages of ethnomathematical research from 1984 to 2023 and identify 20 categories of Indigenous and traditional cultural activities that evidence mathematical design and expression. We address two challenges of investigating non-Western based mathematics: where to look for mathematical knowledge, and how to decode it from cultural practices. These two hurdles are overcome by cluster analysis of the keywords of included studies. Existing research falls into two categories: I. identification of mathematical concepts used in Indigenous societies, and II. systematizing identified mathematical concepts. Both approaches are essential for research on Indigenous mathematics to flourish, in order to empower Indigenous knowledge holders and deconstruct restrictive colonial boundaries of mathematical knowledge and education.