Mathematics education research in situations of political and social conflict

In this project 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 recognizing 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. Af Paola Valero; Renuka Vithal, University of Durban-Westville, South Africa.