Professor of Education Dr. Jehad Alshwaikh Contributes a Chapter on Mathematics Education and Conflict to an International Handbook
A new chapter by education professor Dr. Jehad Alshwaikh “Mathematics, Mathematics Education and 'Conflict': Denial, Pause, and Resistance,” was published in the Fourth International Handbook of Mathematics Education, which is considered one of the most important references in the field and is published every ten years.
The chapter is part of Chapter 4 of the volume, titled “Justice and Social Equality,” and is the 19th chapter in the book, which includes contributions from prominent international scholars, including Luz Vallois-Chavez (Chile) and Aldo Parra (Colombia).
The chapter addresses the role of mathematics and mathematics education in contexts of conflict, responding to calls by critical scholars to examine how mathematics contributes to the perpetuation of cultural, military, and racial projects that lead to the dehumanization and oppression of certain populations. The authors present three spaces in which mathematics education has been developed concerning conflict:
- Denial: Where violence, oppression, and social control are made invisible in math education practices, making math seem generic and homogeneous.
- Pause: Where the political conflicts and tensions surrounding the math education system are acknowledged, but suspended so that schools become bubbles that do not reflect this violence and oppression.
- Resistance: The authors discuss how to approach mathematics education in the context of the realities of violence and oppression, focusing on absent but crucial aspects of mathematics education research.
The Handbook, which exceeds 800 pages, synthesizes developments in math teaching and learning over the past ten years. The project took about three years to complete, prior to the ongoing war on Gaza.
For a general description of the handbook, visit the link: Fourth International Handbook of Mathematics Education
With this class, Dr. Alshwaikh contributes to fostering a critical understanding of the role of mathematics in social and political contexts, reflecting his commitment to providing an education aligned with justice and equality.
