History of Mathematics and Culture: Moments and Movements in Brazilian Mathematics Education

Abstract

This chapter presents moments and movements discussed by the Working Group WG05-History of Mathematics and Culture of the Brazilian Society of Mathematics Education. Considering the proceedings and the books that have resulted from the six editions of the International Seminar of Research, SIPEM, we conducted a survey to map the current research and explore the discussions, drawing conclusions concerning the theoretical and methodological perspectives of the group. In the study, three axes have been characterized: ethnomathematics, history of mathematics, and history of mathematics education. We observed a variety of approaches that can be summarized around the area of multicultural education, the role of history in teaching and teacher education, and the importance of developing historical knowledge about the creation of knowledge, methodologies, and pedagogical practices. Here, the importance of research that incorporates diverse sociocultural methods to produce mathematical and historical knowledge in school mathematics and its pedagogical practices cannot be overstated.