On
November
9,
Dr.
Edward
Doolittle,
associate
professor
of
mathematics
at
First
Nations
University
of
Canada
and
the
University
of
Regina,
visited
the
Faculty
of
Mathematics.
Doolittle
is
Kanyen’kehake
(Flint
Nation,
Mohawk)
from
Six
Nations
in
southern
Ontario,
and
is
an
expert
on
the
Indigenization
of
mathematics.
His visit included meeting with leaders in the Faculty of Mathematics and sharing lunch at the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre. The highlight of Doolittle’s visit was a keynote address: “Indigenous Maths, Global Math, and Indigenizing Mathematics.”
More than a hundred visitors attended both in person and online to hear Doolittle speak. Mark Giesbrecht, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, opened the event by introducing Doolittle and making a land acknowledgment in which he encouraged audience members to considering their individual connections to the land, as well as the aftereffects of violence and colonialism on contemporary society. “History affects all of us every day, whether we acknowledge it or not,” he said.
The main focus of Doolittle’s talk was on the relationship between the mathematics generally taught in Canadian university – what he terms “Global Math” – and the multiple mathematical understandings and knowledges present in different Indigenous communities. He emphasized the importance of “variety from community to community, nation to nation, individual to individual,” noting that there are “multiple Indigenous maths.”
Doolittle emphasized the importance of relationship building, suggesting that if Global Math is not willing to be in dialogue with Indigenous knowledge, then people will miss out on “the full scope of knowledge.”
“We are grateful that Professor Doolittle not only agreed to provide a lecture, but also met with stakeholders across Waterloo and throughout the Faculty during his visit,” says Jeremy Steffler, Faculty Equity Officer. “Hearing the perspectives of someone who has put time into defining what ‘Indigenization of Mathematics’ may entail, and is in a position to help 'bridge' Indigenous and Global Mathematics perspectives, was extremely valuable to all of us.”
For more information about Doolittle and his work, visit his profile at First Nations University of Canada. For more information about Waterloo’s Indigenization work, visit the website for the Office of Indigenous Relations.