John Armstrong

The sinister attempts to ‘decolonise’ mathematics

The Zhou Bi Suan Jing, or Chou Pei Suan Ching, one of the oldest Chinese mathematical texts (Alamy)

Mathematicians in British universities are now being asked to ‘decolonise’ the curriculum. This autumn, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) – an independent charity which reviews university courses – launched a consultation that urged universities to teach a ‘decolonised view’ of mathematics.  

It is easy when you work at a university to roll your eyes at this sort of thing and play along.

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