Paper short abstract:

Scientific knowledge is often related with the concept of culture. This paper deals with the case of mathematics, showing that emphasising sociocultural constituents results in a change of conception: mathematics then is characterised by intuition and aesthetics, fallibility and contradictions.

Paper long abstract:

The presentation deals with the comprehension of the concept of "culture" when mathematicians (didacts, sociologists, philosophers) establish a "culture of mathematics" and the idea of the scientific discipline they are creating by doing so.

To analyse and handle barriers of communication between learners and teachers with regard to mathematics education, didacts are establishing a concept of a scientific culture of mathematics. Seeing mathematics as an autonomous culture conflicting with the students' "everyday life"-culture, problems of learning math can be approached by applying theories of intercultural conflicts. Since this has already proven to be beneficial, the concept of "culture" is highly accepted within the Community of Mathematics Education. For the most part it is used with the intention to eliminate borders that are separating mathematics from the "outside world".

The presentation will examine the theoretic foundations of a cultural and sociological analysis of mathematics and sciences. It will show how the concept of "culture" is understood in different discourses and how it is applied to mathematics. It becomes apparent, that a "culture of mathematics" is opposed to what is generally thought of mathematics: From connecting mathematics and culture evolves a "new" idea of mathematics, which is characterised by intuition and aesthetics, coincidences and contradictions and which is furthermore deeply linked to culture and social conditions.