Decolonizing Ethnomathematics
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Abstract
Ethnomathematics emerged as a decolonizing project. However, we question whether it is achieving its mission since not only does it have intrinsic contradictory ideas but also its initial philosophical discussions have been replaced by recipes for research and classroom practice based on uncritical and superficial definitions and methods. In this article, we aim to contribute to recuperate the decolonizing impulse of ethnomathematics. After reviewing D’Ambrosio’s original theoretical proposal and Gerdes’s method based on that theory, we deconstruct school mathematics principles such as its platonic, abstract, epistemological standardization and argumentative characteristics as well as the functionalist anthropological theory in which ethnomathematics is often framed. Finally, we offer an alternative perspective based on indigenous philosophies and epistemologies that contribute to decolonizing ethnomathematics.
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