This book examines the current thinking on five critical social and
political areas in mathematics education. It focuses on material
conditions in teaching and learning, and details features of social life
and their influence on mathematics teaching, learning and achievement.
Following an introduction, the first section addresses equitable access
and participation in quality mathematics education. It explores this
issue in different contexts and from different ideological perspectives.
The second section traces the emergence and development of the notion of
activism in mathematics education in theory, in the literature, in
research and in practice. The third section then moves on to explore
current research on the political forces at work in identity,
subjectivity and (dis)ability within mathematics education, showing how
emphasis on language and discourse provides information for this
research, and how new directions are being pursued to address the
diverse material conditions that shape learning experiences in
mathematics education. Economic factors behind mathematics achievement
form the topic of section four, which examines the political dimensions
of mathematics education through the influence of national and global
economic structures. The final section addresses distribution of power
and cultural regimes of truth, based on the premise that although often
deemed apolitical, mathematics and mathematics education are highly
political institutions in our society. The book concludes with a summary
and recommendations for the future.
