Eurocentrism in the History of Mathematics: the Case of the Kerala School

The pervasiveness and persistence of Eurocentrism in the history of mathematics is illustrated by the case of the astronomer-mathematicians of Kerala, India, who, some 200 years before Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz invented a generalized system of infinitesimal calculus in the 17th century, dis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Race & class 2004-04, Vol.45 (4), p.45-59
Main Authors: Almeida, Dennis F., Joseph, George G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Class
Ethnicity
Ethnocentrism
History
History of ideas
History of science
India
Kerala
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical methods
Mathematics
Race relations
Schools
Sociology
Sociology of knowledge and ethics
Sociology of knowledge and sociology of culture
Study and teaching
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Summary:The pervasiveness and persistence of Eurocentrism in the history of mathematics is illustrated by the case of the astronomer-mathematicians of Kerala, India, who, some 200 years before Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz invented a generalized system of infinitesimal calculus in the 17th century, discovered elements of the calculus that preceded modern techniques of mathematical analysis. The possibility of the transmission of early Indian mathematics westward to Europe is investigated within the frame of a modified transmission paradigm that, in the absence of direct evidence, calls for a corridor of communication; an appropriate chronology of transmission establishing priority; sufficient evidence of methodological similarities and discordances; and motivation, opportunity, and means to facilitate the transmission. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0306-3968
1741-3125
DOI:10.1177/0306396804043866