The Roles of Mathematics in Teaching for Social Justice: A Framework for the College Classroom

In this paper, we present a framework for understanding the multiple roles that mathematics can serve in the classroom towards social justice goals, developed through an analysis of 36 social justice mathematics curricular modules in college settings. The framework is grounded in Patricia Hill Collins's matrix of domination and consists of seven themes that represent the different roles mathematics can play: measuring inequality, illuminating conditions resulting in inequality, understanding the mechanisms of phenomena, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions, generating and evaluating solutions, communication and action, and criticizing quantification. Our framework supports the perspective that mathematics can serve important and distinct roles and purposes that contribute to addressing the multiple domains of power in Hill Collins’s matrix of domination. In addition, we argue that by explicitly naming these roles and purposes, this framework serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to integrate social justice with mathematics curricula.