Researching Mathematics Education in Situations of Social and Political Conflict

Abstract

We explore the thesis that given that our societies are fraught with various social and political conflicts, and that mathematics education is concerned with contributing to the life possibilities of students in that world, then mathematics education as a field of practice and research has to be concerned with the implications of recognising those conflicts. In particular, we explore the implications of considering social and political conflict situations for: the kinds of research questions and agendas constructed; theories and methodologies adopted; and the criteria used for judging the quality of research in mathematics education. In building our argument we draw not only on international literature in the discipline of mathematics education and outside it, but also on our experiences as researchers struggling with the complexity of conflict contexts.