Abstract / Synopsis
Here we revisit a paper which examined two theses regarding the roles of religion and language of instruction in mathematics education. The first thesis states that if values of mathematics education are incompatible with the value system of the mother culture, then mathematics will be ``appended'' to the culture as a ``technology'' rather than assimilated as a ``mode of thinking''. The second thesis states that as soon as mathematics is applied in problems and situations, the language of instruction and learning becomes a cultural carrier in terms of behaviors, social relations, habits, and values. In the original paper, the first thesis was examined in the context of Islamic-Arab culture, while the second thesis was developed in the context of Lebanon. Here the original paper is first presented in its complete form, with some minor modifications. Next I offer some reflections on the relevance of these two theses today.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.201402.05
Rights Information
© Murad Jurdak
Recommended Citation
Murad E. Jurdak, "Religion and Language as Cultural Carriers and Barriers in Mathematics Education--Revisited," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 4 Issue 2 (July 2014), pages 47-57. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201402.05. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol4/iss2/5
