New materialist ontologies in mathematics education: the body in/of mathematics

In this paper we study the mathematical body as an assemblage of human and non-human mathematical concepts. We argue that learners' bodies are always in the process of becoming assemblages of diverse and dynamic materialities. Following the work of the historian of science Karen Barad, we argue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational studies in mathematics 2013-07, Vol.83 (3), p.453-470
Main Authors: de Freitas, Elizabeth, Sinclair, Nathalie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cubes
Curricula
Curriculum
Education
Learning
Materialism
Mathematical Concepts
Mathematical knowledge
Mathematical Logic
Mathematics
Mathematics curricula
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Instruction
Mathematics materials
Mathematics Skills
Ontology
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Summary:In this paper we study the mathematical body as an assemblage of human and non-human mathematical concepts. We argue that learners' bodies are always in the process of becoming assemblages of diverse and dynamic materialities. Following the work of the historian of science Karen Barad, we argue that mathematical concepts must be considered dynamic material, and we suggest a "pedagogy of the concept" that animates concepts as both logical and ontological. We draw on the philosopher of mathematics Gilles Châtelet in order to pursue this argument, elaborating on the way that mathematical concepts partake of the mobility of the virtual, while learners, in engaging with this mobility, enter a material process of becoming. We show how the concept of virtuality allows us to look at mathematical concepts in school curriculum in new ways.
ISSN:0013-1954
1573-0816
DOI:10.1007/s10649-012-9465-z