The Kenneth O. May Lecture – Fettweis, D’Ambrosio, Ethnomathematics: 90 Years Later, Almost
The annual keynote lecture for the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics simultaneously highlights the association's special session theme of Underrepresented Mathematics. The speaker's abstract: In the 1930s Ewald Fettweis (1881–1967) coined the term Ethnomathematics. This was unknown to Ubiratan D’Ambrosio (1932–2021) when he was exploring Ethnomathematics in the 1980s, which led to his 1985 paper defining what he felt Ethnomathematics meant. Through the years many others have defined the word, many with an eye toward a different inclusive view of mathematics. For example, Alan J. Bishop’s research led to a framework of six universal mathematical activities that many have employed in their work with populations that are often underrepresented in mathematics. When we consider what might be the “mathematics” of underrepresented groups, we can also use what Kenneth L. Pike (1912–2000) referred to as the emic and etic view, which can be supported with Two-Eyed Seeing as put forth by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall. In this talk I will discuss this history and share insights from working through a lens of Ethnomathematics.
