Book Description
In this truly one-of-a-kind book, Ascher introduces the mathematical ideas of people in traditional, or "small-scale", cultures often omitted from discussion of mathematics.Topics such as "Numbers: Words and Symbols", "Tracing Graphs in the Sand", "The Logic of Kin Relations", "Chance and Strategy in Games and Puzzles", and "The Organization and Modeling of Space" are traced in various cultures including the Inuit, Navajo, and Iroquois of North America; the Inca of South America; the Malekula, Warlpiri, Maori, and Caroline Islanders of Oceania, and the Tshokwe, Bushoong, and Kpelle of Africa.As Ascher explores mathematical ideas involving numbers, logic, spatial configuration, and the organization of these into systems and structures, readers gain both a broader understandingand anappreciation for the idease of other peoples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An exploration of mathematics in traditional peoples
In the current atmosphere of political correctness and emphasis on multicultural attributes, it was inevitable that the mathematical air would be affected. However, any examination of obscure cultures presents an opportunity to lose perspective. It is very easy to examine a cultural attribute, explain it via abstract mathematics, and then call that an example of mathematical sophistication. For as all mathematics teachers know, the ability to do a particular application in no way means that the person knows the theory or can apply it in another context. The author makes an occasional and fairly deep penetration into this pitfall, but on the whole maintains a balanced outlook.
Ethnomathematics is given the definition, "study of the mathematical ideas of traditional peoples," and is a loose marriage of mathematics and anthropology. The primary cultures investigated are the Inuit, Navajo, and Iroquois of North America; the Incas, the Malejula, Warlpiri, Maori, and Caroline Islanders of the Pacific; and the Tshokwe, Bushoong, and Kpelle of Africa. Since the vast majority of potential readers have never heard of most of these cultures, reading the book has value as a simple exercise in horizon expanding. In all cases the level of mathematics is not deep, but some exposure to the particular concept is essential.
Chapter one describes how the Incas stored information by tying knots in cords (called quipu), and is more discourse than mathematics. The second chapter explains the Bushoong, Tshokwe, and Malekula traditions of drawing figures in sand, and uses graph theory to explain how it is possible to draw some of the figures without lifting the stick. The third one deals with the Warlpiri logic of kin relations, with group theory being the mathematical foundation. This is where the author falls the most, as can be seen from the following quote: "To me it is striking to find that a logical structure studied abstractly and extensively by Western mathematicians plays a central and significant role in the day-to-day life of some peoples." Given the ubiquity of modern mathematics, it would be more surprising if no explanation existed.
The fourth chapter deals with the games and puzzles of several of the cultures. Number five describes the perception of geometric shapes by several Native American tribes and how the Caroline Islanders use the heavens to navigate. Here again, it is more a listing of the thoughts than mathematical justification. Chapter Six gives many examples of symmetric patterns of decoration, all of which can be assigned group theoretic analogues.
If you are interested in the mathematical thought of these cultures, then this book is essential. However, given the current academic climate, this is no doubt the first in a string of books of this type. Which, when you think about it, is a good thing for us all.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

An interesting look at fascinating, and foreign, ideas
This book has two goals: one is defining the field of``ethnomathematics'', the second is legitimizing the field by givingexamples of what it might cover.This is more anthropology thanmathematics, but would still appeal to a fan of Martin Gardner.

Memorabletopics: the Inuit view of space, a sort of ethnotopology; navigation amongthe Polynesian islanders (how *do* they steer those tiny boats across fivehundred miles of open ocean and arrive at an island a half-mile across? ---this chapter is simply amazing!); deciphering the code of the quipu (theknotted strings that formed the accounting records of the Incan Empire). ... Read more

Book Description
This collection brings together classic, previously-published articles and new research to present the emerging field of ethnomathematics from a critical perspective, challenging particular ways in which Eurocentrism permeates mathematics education. The contributors identify several of the field's broad themes--reconsidering what counts as mathematical knowledge, considering interactions between culture and mathematical knowledge, and uncovering hidden and distorted histories of mathematical knowledge. The book offers a diversity of ethnomathematics perspectives that develop both theoretical and practical issues from various disciplines including mathematics, mathematics education, history, anthropology, cognitive psychology, feminist studies, and African studies written by authors from Brazil, England, Australia, Mozambique, Palestine, Belgium, and the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

a comunist book
This book is of comunist orientation and it does contradict all statistical figure and the contribution of the european and european-americans to the civilization . This is the civilization as we know it now in it's scientific and lifestyle and technical way

A Purposeful Activity
While it is the 'business' of mathematics to come to 'true' statements, just as it is the business of science to find and record facts, the methods by which we arrive at those facts and truth statements are largely founded upon developments of Western Thinking.

The aim of Ethnomathematics is to allow for a dialogue of the various ways by which cultures quantify, and qualify knowledge, and as such it offers a major field of study not only towards intercultural relations, but into the application and practice of mathematics as a whole.

For any other jokers out there who would like to argue the primacy or our Western approach to mathematics I point to the following: Ramanujan, the the Mangetu use of Fractals (a practice predating our Western 'discovery'), the Mayan calendar system (not only a way of looking at time but deemed more accurate by many researchers), and how various practices are employed within their respective societies.

Finally I would like to point out that ethnomathematics is still a contested field of research, but not because a triangle has three sides, nor because mathematics is 'objective.'





That said...

While I do not own this book and have not read it in its entirety, I found what I had read of it to be insightful, and well researched.

I am writing 5 stars for this book as a purposeful activity to counter what I feel were attacks made out of ignorance and a knee jerk reaction to anything remotely PC.

Zero Stars Wasn't an Option
Mathematics is inherently objective and therefore immune from cultural influence.Hence, "ethno"mathematics is a contradiction in terms.

Vincent Williamson, Davison, Michigan

Agreement with Eduardo.
I must agree with Eduardo's analysis. It is obvious that the two anonymous reviewers have not read the book, nor have any interest in trying to understand the viewpoints presented in the book. If they had, they would have presented some sort of reasoned argument. Disregard the anonymous reviewers. Read the book. Make your own decision. Or base your choice of buying (or reading) the book based on Eduardo's analysis. I am giving the book 5 stars as a counterpoint to the uninformed 1-star ratings given by the other two "reviewers".

One of the dumbest ideas ever
The books represents that a mathematical observation is to some extent dependent on the culture of the observer.This is, at best, a misrepresentation.An equilateral triangle does not change in properties, no matter what the culture of the observer. Two + Two will always equal four. One of the most useful aspects of mathematics is that it is not relative to the culture of the observer. What is mathematically true remains true. If two observers do not agree about a mathematical property, one is wrong or incomplete.It may be that it is the European view that is wrong, I am sure that not all mathematical truth is known yet.It may never be.What is true about mathematical observation is not variable with culture. ... Read more

Book Description
This ground-breaking bibliography by distinguished Pacific researcher Nicholas Goetzfridt examines mathematical concepts and practices in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. It covers number systems, counting, measuring, classifying, spatial relationships, symmetry, geometry, and other aspects of ethnomathematics in relation to a wide range of activities such as trade, education, navigation, construction, rituals and festivals, divination, weaving, tattooing, and music. In compiling nearly five hundred citations, Goetzfridt makes use of the vast resources of writing about the Pacific from the 1700s to the present. In addition to discussing Pacific knowledge systems in general, his introductory chapter includes a helpful overview of the relatively new field of ethnomathematics and important theoretical reflections on the discipline as a research program.

Extensive subject and geographic indexes provide numerous ways to experience the rich heritage and history of Pacific ethnomathematical concepts covered in this book, including: the 256 possible knotted fates enabled by the Carolinian sky god Supwunumen, etak segmentation concepts in stellar based voyaging, the highly diverse counting systems of Papua New Guinea, the alignment of stone structures with stars to mark the appearance of the equinox and solstice, and contemporary educational issues in the standardized teaching of Western mathematics.

Pacific Ethnomathematics is a major reference work that will be welcomed by Pacific scholars engaged in a wide range of disciplines, among them history, anthropology, education, geography, astronomy, archaeology, ethnic studies, and art. ... Read more

Book Description
In this book, Ubiratan D'Ambrosio presents his most recent thoughts on ethnomathematics - a sub-field of mathematics history and mathematics education for which he is widely recognized to be one of the founding fathers.In a clear, concise format, he outlines the aim of the Program Ethnomathematics, which is to understand mathematical knowing/doing throughout history, within the context of different groups, communities, peoples and nations, focusing on the cycle of mathematical knowledge:its generation, its intellectual and social organization, and its diffusion.While not rejecting the importance of modern academic mathematics, it is viewed as but one among many existing ethnomathematics.Offering concrete examples and ideas for mathematics teachers and researchers, D'Ambrosio makes an eloquent appeal for an entirely new approach to conceptualizing mathematics knowledge and education that embraces diversity and addresses the urgent need to provide youth with the necessary tools to become ethical, creative, critical individuals prepared to participate in the emerging planetary society. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Academic Exchange Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 3036 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Ethnomathematics and aboriginal student anxiety.
Author: Catherine McGregor
Publication: Academic Exchange Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 9Issue: 3Page: 126(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Citation Details


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Customer Reviews (3)

poor service in delivery
I am happy that the book has finally arrived after almost three months of its order in mid-December 2006. Otherwise no lament.

A Truly Profound Book!
I have this book in my library and it's the most requested by my friends to borrow. We find that the history of math started in Africa by indigenous Africans.

Claudia Zaslavsky, an educator who advanced the study of the links between mathematics and world cultures, died on Friday, January 13, 2006. Being a woman of European descent didn't stop her from teaching the truth and not allowing personal gain to cloud her judgement. We should honor this woman and the work that she did for the study of indigenous African history.

This is one of the best books in African Studies.
Zaslavsky's "Africa Counts" will continue to be widely cherished for many years to come. Anyone haboring the old notion that Africans played no part in shaping world civlilization who is not changed by what appearsin this book can only be someone with extraordinary racist tendencies.Zaslavky's book is effulgent because it demystifies mathematics withoutsacrificing details. ... Read more

Product Description
African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Connecting Africans ancient and modern
This is an amazing book! It clearly shows how many of the common things that people of African descent do have may scientific connections.Hair styles that are worn today by people of African descent, have been worn as far back to the ancient indigenous Africans known as the ancient Egyptians.So it really no surprise that there is mathematical and scientific knowledge being found today by scientist and scholars.

This book should be in every school and home in this country.I take that back, this book should be in every school globally.

Another scientific book that would make a great set for any school or home is, The African Unconscious.Written by Edward Bruce Bynum.You can find it here on Amazon.com.

This book helps to render obsolete long-held myths.
Ron Eglash's brilliant work on Afrikan fractals helps to shatter long-held myths and misconceptions about Afrikans, the most pervasive and pernicious of which is the notion of Afrikans (both on the Motherland and in the Diaspora) as inactive agents in history. This work motivated me to complete mine on chaos theory and Afrikan fractals. My longer reviews of Eglash's book appear in the Nexus Network Journal (vol. 2, 2000:165-168) and the Journal of Third World Studies (vol. xviii, no. 1, 2001:237-239), each reflecting the publication's genre and disciplinary focus. Dr. Abdul Karim Bangura is a researcher-in-residence at the Center for Global Peace and a professor of International Relations in the School of International Service at American University, and the director of The African Institution in Washington, DC. He is the author of 21 books and more than 200 scholarly articles.

An ingenious first, recognition of 'African' Maths.
This is a brilliant book. As an Architect, I was truly enlightened by the idea of the 'other' culture(s), having a valid scientific basis in fact. I was always told in Architectural school that the 'Africans',(includingthose in the diaspora) were a peoples without and writing systems,technological background and no culture. I'm glad to see evidence that thisis not the truth. I thank the author for his contribution.

An ingenious first, recognition of 'African' Maths.
This is a brilliant book. As an Architect, I was truly enlightened by the idea of the 'other' culture(s), having a valid scientific basis in fact. I was always told in Architectural school that the 'Africans',(includingthose in the diaspora) were a peoples without and writing systems,technological background and no culture. I'm glad to see evidence that thisis not the truth. I thank the author for his contribution. ... Read more

Book Description
Africa needs to awaken and nurture its magnificent creative potential. African Women, constituting half of the population, are still strongly underrepresented in scientific and technological careers where mathematics plays an important role. Women themselves appear to lack the confidence to take up studies in the science fields that have been considered male domains in Europe and throughout colonial Africa. Ironically, however, outside this context, South African women have traditionally been involved in cultural activities ¡V such as ceramics, beading, mural decoration, mat and basket weaving, hair braiding, tattooing, string figures ¡V which bear a striking artistic and mathematical character.

The main objective of this book is to call attention to some mathematical ideas incorporated in the patterns invented by women in Southern Africa. An appreciation of these mathematical traditions may lead to their preservation, revival and development. Use of female art traditional forms has implications in the field of mathematics education. ... Read more

Book Description
In the African marketplace, people buy and trade using many different languages including various methods of finger counting. This beautifully illustrated picture book takes readers on a tour of the markets, showing the traditional finger counting styles of various African peoples. Many children develop math phobia early. This book explores the practicality of math within the context of African culture and helps children see that math can be fun and creative. ... Read more

Book Description
Mathematics Across Cultures: A History of Non-WesternMathematics consists of essays dealing with the mathematicalknowledge and beliefs of cultures outside the United States andEurope. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, NativeAmerican, Aboriginal Australian, Inca, Egyptian, and Africanmathematics, among others, the book includes essays on Rationality,Logic and Mathematics, and the transfer of knowledge from East toWest. The essays address the connections between science and cultureand relate the mathematical practices to the cultures which producedthem. Each essay is well illustrated and contains an extensivebibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills agap in both the history of science and in cultural studies. It shouldfind a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students,graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving thosegroups. ... Read more