[Keynote] Examining coloniality in mathematics education curriculum: A case of the Cambridge Assessment International Education curriculum
In this talk, I examine coloniality as a racializing force within mathematics education curricula, focusing on the British-developed Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) curriculum, formerly known as the Cambridge International Education (CIE) curriculum. Through this case study, I explore how international curricula like CAIE operate as vehicles of coloniality, embedding and perpetuating racialized narratives about Sub-Saharan African communities. I argue that CAIE plays a central role in sustaining colonial hierarchies by privileging a singular, Eurocentric way of knowing and being in mathematics. These hierarchies are further reinforced through the curriculum’s assessment practices, which not only marginalize alternative epistemologies but also uphold systems of exclusion and inequality. The persistence of colonial logics in international education underscores the need to interrogate the broader power structures that shape mathematics curricula globally. By recognizing the ways in which coloniality and racialization are interconnected, we can better understand the complex systems of power and privilege that shape international mathematics curricula. Bio: Molade Osibodu, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at York University located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her research critically examines the experiences of Black youth in mathematics education. Dr. Osibodu is specifically interested in examining ways to decolonize mathematics education for liberatory futures, engaging with social justice issues, and exploring African Indigenous mathematics practices. Dr. Osibodu’s work is supported methodologically and theoretically by decolonial theory, critical theories of race, and Black geographies.