Teaching maths perpetuates white privilege, says university professor
'On many levels, mathematics itself operates as Whiteness. Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A university professor has claimed teaching maths perpetuates "unearned" white privilege.
Rochelle Gutierrez, from the University of Illinois, urged her colleagues to be aware of the "politics that mathematics brings" in a new anthology directed at teachers.
Titled “Building Support for Scholarly Practices in Mathematics Methods", Ms Gutierrez argues a focus on Pythagorean theorem and pi feed into the idea that maths was developed by the Greeks and Europeans.
"On many levels, mathematics itself operates as Whiteness. Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White," she wrote, according to Campus Reform.
“Are we really that smart just because we do mathematics?”
She also believes society's focus on maths as a key skill can perpetuate discrimination against minorities.
"If one is not viewed as mathematical, there will always be a sense of inferiority that can be summoned," she wrote.
Ms Gutierrez said knowledge is "relational" and must be treated as such, saying: "Things cannot be known objectively; they must be known subjectively."
She believes the problem can be addressed by teachers developing a better political understanding outside of the classroom.
The Independent has contacted Ms Gutierrez for comment.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments