Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past
Mathematicians want to think their field is a meritocracy
"...Racism, sexism and other forms of systematic oppression are not unique to mathematics, and they certainly are not new, yet many in the field still deny their existence. “One of the biggest challenges is how hard it can be to start a conversation” about the problem, Sawyer says, “because mathematicians are so convinced that math is the purest of all of the sciences..Recently many mathematicians have been pushing to discuss these issues more and force the field to confront the racism, sexism and other harmful bias it sometimes harbors. In response to those who say that such discussions distract collective focus from mathematics research and direct it to social issues, Goins says, “If you think talking about racism is distracting, imagine experiencing it.... Not all of us can just ignore what’s happening to us directly.” (Scientific America, August 2021)
Posted: September 3, 2021, 11:50 AM