Assimilating Mathematical Knowledge: Tracing Racist Assimilationist Ideology in Indian Boarding School Mathematics Curricula, 1879–1932

• In Event: Marginalization in Mathematics and Science in and Through Learning, Curriculum, and Research

Abstract

This paper presents our ongoing research examining the mathematics curricula in Indian boarding schools (IBS), 1879-1932. While the Indian Education literature has analyzed the policies and practices of federal boarding schools (e.g., Child, 1998; Lomawaima, 1993; Trennert, 1988), the mathematics curriculum remains an unexplored area of scholarship. The aims of this research include 1) documenting the mathematics curriculum in the United States Indian Boarding Schools between 1879-1932 and 2) increasing our understanding of how the mathematics curriculum promoted the government’s assimilationist agenda during that period. We describe our interdisciplinary theoretical approach, archival methodology, and preliminary findings and discuss the implications of this research for contemporary mathematics education.

Authors

• José Francisco Gutiérrez, University of Utah

• Stephanie Shiver, University of Utah

• Meghan Zarnetske, University of Utah

• Charles Sepulveda, The University of Utah

• Cynthia Benally, University of Utah

• Kehaulani Natsuko Vaughn, University of Utah