Welcome to the jungle: An orientation guide to the disorder of mathematics education

Straehler-Pohl, H, Pais, AJS and Bohlmann, N (2016) Welcome to the jungle: An orientation guide to the disorder of mathematics education. In: The Disorder of Mathematics Education: Challenging the Sociopolitical Dimensions of Research. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-34006-7

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Abstract

This introductory chapter builds on the assumption that the sociopolitical dimensions of mathematics education have been gradually recognised as an important part of mathematics education research. We problematise the process of institutionalising these dimensions as a firm strand of mathematics education research just as “philosophy of mathematics (education)”, “history of mathematics (education)”, “modelling and applications” or “geometry”. This leads us to identify and conceptualise “disorder” as the foundation of the sociopolitical dimensions and accordingly to propose a shift from focussing diversity towards focussing disorder. Finally, we illustrate how the chapters of this book contribute to such an alternative self-conception of sociopolitical research in mathematics education.