Math Logics: Perpetrators of Whiteness in STEM Educational Spaces

Mathematics logics are the disciplinary ways in which we think about mathematics that organize structures and labor within the field. This chapter unpacks two powerful traditional logics within mathematics: (1) viewing the discipline as pure or abstract and (2) framing math as neutral. Specifically, this chapter shows how these logics oppress students from historically marginalized groups in mathematics education. Seeing mathematics as “pure” places the discipline outside of human activity, and therefore, the resulting organization of who does and does not get access to mathematics is merely based on innate ability. This means when racial differences arise, they are inherent to those groups, rather than socially constructed by how the discipline organizes itself. Framing math as neutral extends from this to remove the appearance of culture and power in the discipline. This logic places power outside mathematics rather than understanding the multiple ways that mathematics can be used to interpret the world. Both of these logics serve to maintain the status quo, perpetuating existing power structures, and thus white supremacy. Instead, the chapter proposes alternative logics that disrupt racist power structures.