The production of a mathematical education that assumes the composition of mathematical practices with the Broska and Kussunde dances, from Guinea- Bissau.

• Grant number: 24/18631-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Roger Miarka
• Grantee: Isna Gabriel Sia
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aligns with the UN's SDGs "Quality Education" and "Reducing Social Inequalities." It aims to analyze how mathematics education can understand the Broska and Kussunde dances, practiced in Guinea-Bissau, and how the practice of Broska and Kussunde dances can collaborate with mathematics education practices. This work is justified by the intention to incorporate local cultural practices into Mathematics Education. The guiding question of this research - how can mathematics education understand the Broska and Kussunde dances, and in what ways can the practice of the Broska and Kussunde dances collaborate with mathematics education practices? - unfolds into four specific objectives:(1) To present the historical, social, and cultural context of Guinea-Bissau as a condition for the emergence and maintenance of the dancing cultural manifestations, the object of this investigation;(2) To characterize the bodily movements required for the performance of the Broska and Kussunde dances, considering them through the lens of cultural production;(3) To identify the cosmoperceptions of Broska and Kussunde dance practitioners regarding the description of mathematics in rhythm and body movement; and (4) To expand the epistemological field of mathematics education by linking it to elements of the body aesthetics of Broska and Kussunde dance practitioners. For this, Ethnomathematics is adopted as the theoretical framework. Methodologically, an ethnography will be conducted, involving six months of fieldwork using a field diary and interviews. The analysis will be guided by a thematic descriptive method, operated in the light of Ethnomathematics. The goal is to produce knowledge that integrates cultural practices and mathematical practices, valuing local knowledge.