Inventing the Mathematician: Gender, Race, and Our Cultural Understanding of Mathematics

by Sara N Hottinger

Where and how do we, as a culture, get our ideas about mathematics and about who can engage with mathematical knowledge? Sara N. Hottinger uses a cultural studies approach to address how our ideas about mathematics shape our individual and cultural relationship to the field. She considers four locations in which representations of mathematics contribute to our cultural understanding of mathematics textbooks, the history of mathematics, portraits of mathematicians, and the field of ethnomathematics. Hottinger examines how these discourses shape mathematical subjectivity by limiting the way some groups--including women and people of color--are able to see themselves as practitioners of math. Inventing the Mathematician provides a blueprint for how to engage in a deconstructive project, revealing the limited and problematic nature of the normative construction of mathematical subjectivity.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction, Science, Race, Education

215 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Z. Yasemin]

some biases against minorities has rather subtle/small reason as a starting point but then it behaves as snowball affecting many generation causing detrimental impacts on us. One solution might be asking when/how it started at first rather than keep pointing out the obvious: gender/race gap.

[Kelly Shreeve]

Good content analysis of how mathematics is taught and the ways it is alienating to some genders, races, and classes. Well supported by outside literature. Four stars because the writing was muddied and repetitive.

[Erin]

Read this for my Belonging in Mathematics course. A lot of food for thought, but we were all skeptical of some of the claims the author makes. Overall and interesting read!

[Lucy]

Excellent. A perfect update to the issues of gender, colonialism and externalism in mathematics identities. Quite heavy at times but lighter in others, a very substantial work overall.