Where Would Formal, Academic Mathematics Stand in a Curriculum Informed by Ethnomathematics? A Critical Review of Ethnomathematics

This paper is a critical review of the ethnomathematics literature and classifies ethnomathematics according to where it might stand in relation to the teaching of formal, academic mathematics. This paper investigates what it sees as four possibilities: ethnomathematics should replace academic mathematics, ethnomathematics should be a supplement to the mathematics curriculum, ethnomathematics should be used as a springboard for academic mathematics and ethnomathematics should be taken into consideration when preparing learning situations. We argue that it is only through the lens of formal, academic mathematics sensitive to cultural differences that the real value of the mathematics inherent in certain cultures and societies be understood and appreciated.