Decolonising maths, stats and physics
NUSU have a [Decolonising NCL](https://www.nusu.co.uk/decol/) campaign. > For our Decolonising NCL campaign we want to question the curriculum being taught across the University (including who is teaching), what the subject matter is and how it’s being taught. They want schools to make pledges about how they will decolonise.
 We used to be Armstrong College. <aside class="notes">We are a university in a country whose wealth was built on empire. Much of the work performed by the university was intended to support the colonial project.</aside>
## Key problems * Naming * Methods, notations and ways of knowing * Bias * What mathematics is and why it is created * Who does and did mathematics
## Naming Naming objects and theorems is not a neutral act. Examples: * Pascal’s triangle is also called the Staircase of Mount Meru, or Yang Hui's triangle, or Khayyam's triangle. * The Towers of Hanoi puzzle never had anything to do with Hanoi. Who gets to have something named after them? Who doesn't? <aside class="notes"> Could we look at the names used in our curriculum, and correct misattributed names, show several names when there’s more than one, or even try to avoid eponymy in favour of functional names? </aside>
## Methods, notation and ways of knowing There isn’t just one “correct” way of doing something. In fact, understanding multiple ways of doing something can lead to greater understanding. How much conventional knowledge do we assume, and how do we accommodate colleagues and students who don’t share these conventions? What other ways of knowing and presenting maths could we include in our curriculum? <aside class="notes"> There are lots of different algorithms for multiplication. Which one is the “standard” one differs depending on how, when and where you were taught. “The” equation of a line differs around the world. In the UK, y=mx+c has largely been replaced by (y-y1) = m(x-x1). Notation for numbers differs around the world. Some places use commas for the decimal separator, some group digits differently. The symbols and even the semantics differ. </aside>
## Bias Our assumptions about each other’s backgrounds carry implicit bias. 
## What mathematics is and why it is created Mathematics does not emerge from pure thought. It is shaped and inspired by the context we operate in and the demands imposed on us. Much of Karl Pearson’s work on statistics was developed to support his belief in eugenics. Can and should we teach the context in which mathematical topics were developed?
## Who does and did mathematics <img alt="Cover of the book men of mathematics. All the people featured are white, European men." src="images/men-of-mathematics.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0.5em"/> What version of mathematical history does this present? Who can do maths?
## Who does and did mathematics [](https://mathigon.org/timeline) What version of mathematical history does this present? Who can do maths?
## What mathematics is and why it is created Are research projects which perpetuate inequity *unethical*? > If I thought that war would be fomented, or the interests of humanity suffer, by what I have done, I would greatly regret it. I have no such apprehension. It is our province, as engineers to make the forces of matter obedient to the will of man; those who use the means we supply must be responsible for their legitimate application. > > <cite>Lord Armstrong</cite>
## Pledges to consider * A regular item on decolonising the curriculum at Board of Studies. * Review naming conventions and widen the cultural/geographical context of modules. * Identify and reduce implicit bias in assessment. * Examine the ends of topics we teach: who benefits? * Student projects on decolonisation. * Engage more colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds.
[A document collecting thoughts and links](https://newcastle.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/EDI/EXhJCk1GUpZEjhv9qsr3V74B0H52yaaN0AL45_R7x466aw?e=abSW2E)