Ethnomathematics

Ethnomathematics is a recent discipline and still little known to non-specialists. It aims to study the expressions of types of rationality among various populations that do not practice mathematics as we teach and usually conceive it. Its history presents itself as a convergence between mathematics and anthropology, where geometry, numeration or algorithms prove to be valuable tools for the study of indigenous cultural practices. Conversely, the mathematical elements that we perceive by exploring these customs question our relationship to the discipline. An objective for this dossier: look at maths from elsewhere but above all differently!

The importance and omnipresence of digital technology has led to the redefinition of entire fields of mathematics. While approximation once reflected limitations in mathematical knowledge or the capabilities of human calculators, in computers everything is, in fact, approximated: numbers, images, sounds and even functions, treated as sequences of elementary operations. From data collection to their processing and representations, many techniques are regularly developed. Some problems then become crucial: the bounding of the error that propagates from one step to another in a calculation, the stability of the models used which must avoid sudden qualitative "jumps", the simplicity of implementation of algorithms… Behind all these questions hide theorems studied nearly two centuries ago, and methods extended and amplified with the development of digital technologies.