This document may be reproduced in whole or in part freely if the source is explicitly mentioned as follows: Morneau-Guérin, F., Santarossa, D., Boyer, C. (2022). Dismantling racism in mathematics education and the cobra effect. Montreal: Learning Editions, collection Dot the i's and cross the t's.

Foreword 

This text was written in the fall of 2021, then submitted in January 2022 to the Bulletin of the Mathematical Association of Quebec. As of October 2022, the editorial board had reportedly still not managed to find two arbitrators. informed and relevant " (these are the words of the editor-in-chief). 

Ideas have consequences (Richard Weaver)

Critical Race Theory (critical race theory), which is clearly a uniquely American phenomenon, stipulates that racism is omnipresent and acts at all times and relentlessly to the detriment of people of color, who are aware of it, and to the benefit of white people. The latter would count among their many privileges the fact of being able to live without ever having to become aware of the extent of this ambient racism working to their advantage (Applebaum, 2007; Bell, 1991; Bell, 2008; Rollock and Gillborn, 2011). It is clear that the two fundamental principles of postmodern philosophy, namely (1) the rejection of any claim to objective truth and its replacement by cultural relativism and (2) the conviction that knowledge is determined, conditioned and modified by the exercise of power, occupy a prominent place in critical race theory (Hiraldo, 2010; Pluckrose and Lindsay, 2020). 

Long confined to social science faculties, critical race theory has now emerged from its academic incubator (Perna, 2018). Indeed, at the turn of the 2010s, the idea that everything had to be decolonized (including institutions or environments that had never been literally colonized) began to spread under the influence of activists and social justice warriors (social justice warriors) using and developing the concept of decolonization in increasingly radical ways (DiAngelo, 2018; DiAngelo 2021; Pluckrose and Lindsay, 2020). 

As is usually the case when an ideology reifies its core dogmas, adherents of critical race theory are now seeking to shape tomorrow's society by producing and distributing propaganda material. As an example, we take the publication in May 2021 of the booklet A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction (Cintron, Wadlington and ChenFeng, 2021) produced by the California activist group The Education Trust-West as part of his project entitled Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction. Let's look at how the authors of the booklet present their work: 

This booklet provides teachers with an opportunity to examine their actions, beliefs, and values ​​regarding mathematics education. This guide to deconstructing racism in mathematics offers essential characteristics of antiracist mathematics teachers and critical approaches to dismantling white supremacy in mathematics classrooms by making visible the toxic characteristics of white supremacist culture (Jones & Okun, 2001; Brown et al., 2016) as it relates to mathematics. (p. 4) 

As is often the case in the literature associated with critical race theory, this booklet contains a multitude of references to the patriarchy, white supremacy culture, hoarding of power and colonialism that exist “in a state of immanence – always and everywhere present, but hidden under a more pleasant veneer that does not entirely camouflage them” (Pluckrose and Lindsay, 2020). It also brandishes words like Meritocracy et objectivity in the manner of an insult without taking the trouble to accompany these clear positions with any attempt at explanation, probably considering them to be crystal clear. 

As the following excerpt shows, the booklet Pathway belongs to an increasingly imposing body of texts presenting as an indisputable truth that any white person would contribute (deliberately or unconsciously) to maintaining a system which oppresses minorities (and this, even if there were no longer anyone to nourish racist intentions or beliefs deep down) and that it would be imperative to dismantle this Eurocentric system: 

White supremacist culture manifests itself in the classroom when curriculum developers and enculturated (sic) teachers in the United States present mathematics as they were taught it, without critical reflection. This reinforces the idea that there is only one right way to do mathematics, which may not meet the needs of all students. The history of mathematics, its colonization, and what is considered “acceptable” knowledge is rich and complex. Therefore, the way mathematics is taught in the United States must be challenged, as it is currently centered on Western and Eurocentric ways of processing knowledge. When students who have been taught differently are required to learn in this way, they must unlearn their Indigenous traditions to meet the expectations of teachers, or they are deprived of learning mathematics in their ancestral history. (p. 38) 

For the authors of this booklet, dismantling racism in mathematics education and overcoming the mentalities that legitimize colonialism clearly requires advancing an ideological agenda rather than implementing best educational practices based on evidence: 

White supremacist culture manifests itself in the classroom when “good” mathematics education is seen as an antidote to mathematical inequity for Black, Latinx, and multilingual students. “Best practices” for mathematics pedagogy often exclude the unique needs of Black, Latinx, multilingual, and immigrant students. This reinforces either/or thinking by reinforcing stereotypes about the type of mathematics education that certain groups of students receive. It allows the defensiveness of Western mathematics to prevail, without addressing the underlying causes of why certain groups of students “underachieve,” a characterization that should also be up for examination. It also assumes that “good” mathematics education is about a Eurocentric type of mathematics, devoid of cultural ways of being. Instead, discover authentic, cultural ways of teaching and learning that represent the students in your classroom. Professional Development: As a department, study ethnomathematics and incorporate it into all classrooms. (p. 31) 

Although it is presented as a work of synthesis with scientific pretensions, we will demonstrate that the booklet Pathway is a militant pamphlet. Not content with fomenting a revolution in the field of education (a revolution which, in light of current scientific knowledge, has no chance of improving the prospects of academic success of target audiences), its authors call into question the fundamental principles of the empirical method of scientific research to bring about the era of subjectivity, emotion, feeling and intuition, all wrapped in the mantle of virtue of valiant knights resisting the forces of evil: 

Identify and challenge ways in which mathematics is used to defend capitalist, imperialist, and racist views. Expose students to examples of people who have used mathematics as a means of resistance. Provide learning opportunities that use mathematics as a means of resistance. (p. 9) 

This booklet, which may raise a smile because of the radical nature of its theses, is far from being the fruit of an obscure university department; it was financed to the tune of one million US dollars by the The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Stieglitz, 2021). We will be careful not to draw too many conclusions from such funding, as this would be purely speculative. What is worth emphasizing here, however, is that the ideas promoted in the booklet Pathway attract the attention of a foundation with an international reputation, which shows the growing importance of these ideas. The booklet's website lists 25 partners and organizations that have implemented its strategies. These partners are teachers' associations in various states in the United States, university departments, and other organizations that conduct educational research. In addition, the ideas conveyed in this booklet are currently being implemented in various school districts in Georgia, Ohio, California, and Oregon (Stieglitz, 2021), despite many voices denouncing its unnecessarily divisive nature. 

This anti-racism guide does not appear to have actually been used in Canada, but similar documents have been put forward in Ontario. In 2021, Ontario's Grade 9 math curriculum stated that "mathematics has been used to normalize racism and the marginalization of non-Eurocentric mathematical knowledge" (Radio-Canada, 2021). This sentence has since been removed, but several media outlets reported it at the time. Following strong reactions in traditional media, social media, and from many teachers, the government changed this sentence to the following: "The curriculum emphasizes the need to remove barriers and better serve students who have been historically disadvantaged in mathematics education." (Radio-Canada, 2021) 

Also in Ontario, at the end of 2021, a judge determined that since the standardized math test that all future teachers must take caused racial disparities in results, it followed that this test was unconstitutional. For the sake of precision, let us add that the judge specified that there were alternatives to this test to ensure that teachers have a good command while not causing racial disparities (Ontario Teacher Candidates' Council v. The Queen, 2021). This judgment has sparked a number of reactions and it is possible that the government will appeal it. 

Without being part of common sense, it seems quite obvious that the ideas contained in the booklet Pathway are increasingly popular and are part of a much broader movement of deconstruction in the name of anti-racism. In Quebec, too, we discuss issues surrounding racism, but these questions have not yet entered the discourse of school service centers and the Ministry of Education following the ideas of critical race theory. However, in recent years, driven by the zeal of new converts, critical race theory has gradually established itself in the media space in Quebec; most often through the prism of American history (Bock-Côté, 2021). Public figures and activist columnists have gradually come to impose racialist language and terms in the media space and to present critical race theory as revealing indisputable truths that accurately describe Quebec society, so much so that the belief that society is made up of systems of power and identity privileges that are as pernicious as they are difficult to perceive at first glance should henceforth be considered the starting point from which to conceive of society. Add to this the previous examples and the presence of this movement in Ontario and it is certain that the questions raised by critical race theory will be raised in our institutions.