| 1. OBJECTIVES
The African Mathematical Union Commission on the History of Mathematics
in Africa (AMUCHMA), formed in 1986, has the following objectives:
a. to improve communication among those interested in the history of
mathematics in Africa;
b. to promote active cooperation between historians, mathematicians,
archaeologists, ethnographers, sociologists, etc., doing research in, or
related to, the history of mathematics in Africa;
c. to promote research in the history of mathematics in Africa, and
the publication of its results, in order to contribute to the demystification
of the still-dominant Eurocentric bias in the historiography of mathematics;
d. to cooperate with any and all organizations pursuing similar objectives.
The main activities of AMUCHMA are as follows:
a. publication of a newsletter;
b. setting up of a documentation centre;
c. organisation of lectures on the history of mathematics at national,
regional, continental and international congresses and conferences.
2. MEETINGS, EXHIBITIONS,
EVENTS
2.1 6th International Colloquium on the History of Arabic Mathematics
(Algiers, Algeria, 22-24 November 2000)
This colloquium with its periodicity of 2 years had to take place in
1996. The difficult situation in Algeria for some years, however, did not
permit to convince a sufficient number of foreign researchers to participate
in it. The colloquium could nevertheless take place in 2000 and was organized
by the ‘École Normale Supérieure’ of Algiers in association
with the Algerian Association of the History of Mathematics. It was held
at the National Library of Algiers. Seventeen researchers from various
countries of Africa, Europe and the Middle East took part. During the colloquium,
the decision was taken to organise the 7th Colloquium in Marrakech (Morocco)
in May 2002 (see below). The following papers were presented:
-
Ali Ishaq Abdullatif (Jordan): The epistle of al-Sijzi on the properties
of the square of the diameter of a circle;
-
Sidi Amar Assali (Algeria): The mathematical tools in the work of al-Hasan
al-Murrakushi (13th century);
-
Elena Ausejo (Spain): José Sanchez Perez, historian of Arabic mathematics;
-
Mona Chaarani (Lebanon): Applied mechanics of Taqi al-Din Ibn Ma rouf al-Dimasqi;
-
Abdelmalek Bouzari (Algeria): The theory of the conical sections in the
Arabic mathematical tradition through a manuscript of 10th century attributed
to Abu Ja far al-Khazin;
-
Ahmed Djebbar (Algeria): The processes of measurement in Andalusia and
in the Maghreb through an epistle of Ibn Abdun (10th c.);
-
Abdallah El-Idrissi (Morocco): Trigonometry in the work of Abu l-Hasan
al-Murrakushi (13th c.);
-
Lutfallah Gari (Saudi Arabia): Arabic astronomy after the 12th century;
-
Youcef Guergour (Algeria): The measure of the circle according to al-Mutaman
Ibn Hud;
-
Michel Guillemot (France): About the methods of simple false position;
-
Ezzaim Laabid (Morocco): Al-Hufi and his Summary on inheritances: a durable
influence on the whole tradition of education;
-
Anissa Harbili (Algeria): The processes of demonstration in the comment
of al-Uqbani (d. 1408) on the Talkhis of Ibn al-Banna (d. 1321);
-
Mariano Hormigon (Spain): Sa’id al-Andalusi, scientific columnist of his
time and historian of sciences. The contributions to the history of mathematics;
-
Kheira Megri (Algeria): The first steps of an undulatory conception of
light in the Optics of Kamal al-Din al-Farisi;
-
Jacques Sesiano (Switzerland): Magic squares of an epistle of al-Zarqali;
-
Maryvonne Spiesser (France): Research on the Arabic and Italian sources
of an arithmetic in French at the end of 15th century;
-
Moktadir Zerrouki (Algeria): The arithmetical and algebraic contribution
of al-Uqbani (d. 1408) to the techniques of calculation of donations.
2.2 The 2000 International Year of Mathematics in Côte d’Ivoire
Coordinated by AMUCHMA member Salimata Doumbia, the Mathematical Society
of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) organised several activities in the
period March 29, 2000 to February 17, 2001. The programme started March
29, 2000 with a historical lecture by the president of the Mathematical
Society of Côte d’Ivoire, Saliou Touré, entitled "Mathematical
Life in Côte d’Ivoire from Independence until our days". Professor
Touré, also former Minister of Higher Education and former Secretary-General
of the African Mathematical Union, presented on February 13, 2001 the theme
"The evolution of mathematics since its origins until our days."
Other public lectures in various cities of the country were presented
on the themes "How to encourage young people to do mathematics?",
"Mathematics and human sciences", and "Mental learning methods
to have success in mathematics." On February 15, a round table took
place with as theme "Evaluation and redynamisation of mathematics education
and research in Côte d’Ivoire at the start of the third millennium."
A competition "Miss Math 2000" and exhibition on pedagogical activities
and mathematics books completed the celebrations.
2.3 Papers presented at recent meetings
* The inaugural lecture at the 2nd International Meeting on Mathematical
Analysis and its Applications (M’sila, Algeria, 19-21 November 2000) was
given by Ahmed Djebbar in the presence of the Minister of Scientific Research.
The lecture was entitled "The Arab phase of Algebra."
* At the Alexander Von Humboldt Symposium on Science and Cultural Diversity
realized during the seventh Mexican Congress on the History of Science
and Technology (State University of Hidalgo, Pachuca, Mexico, 26-29 November
2000), Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) presented a plenary lecture entitled
"Science and Cultural Diversity: The Case of Mathematics in Africa South
of the Sahara."
* At the invitation of the Department of Mathematics of the Faculty
of Science of Nouakchott (Mauritania), Ahmed Djebbar (Algeria) presented
three lectures on the history of mathematics. On this occasion, meetings
took place with teachers of the Department of mathematics of the ‘École
Normale Supérieure’, the Faculty of Science and the inspectors of
mathematics to discuss the possibility of creating activities in the history
of mathematics in Nouakchott. At the conclusion of these meetings, the
Mauritanian colleagues created the Group of History of the Mathematics
of Nouakchott (G.H.M.N) of which the first President is Ould Jidoumou.
* At the 12th Symposium of the Southern African Mathematical
Science Association (SAMSA) (University of Swaziland, Ezulwini, Swaziland,
11-15 December 2000), Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) presented a keynote address
entitled "On Polyhedra in African Cultures."
* At the 9th Conference of the Southern African Association
for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE)
(Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique, 17-20 January 2001),
Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) presented a keynote address entitled "On
the ‘African Renaissance’ and Ethnomathematical Research."
* At the Conference ‘Mathematics and Culture 2001’ (University of Venice,
Italy, 30-31 March 2001), Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) presented a lecture
entitled "Variations on Lunda-designs." In the days before he gave
lectures at the Mathematics Departments of the Universities of Pisa (March
28) and Milan (March 29) entitled "Geometrical Ideas from Africa South
of the Sahara" and "On Art and Geometry in African Cultures",
respectively.
* On April 23 and 24, 2001, Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) gave talks on
geometrical traditions in Southern Africa at the Nampula Branch of the
Pedagogical University and the Marrere Teacher Training Centre, both in
the Nampula province in northeast Mozambique.
* The inaugural plenary lecture of the XXI International Congress of
History of Science (Mexico City, 8-14 July, 2001) was presented by Roshdi
Rashed (Egypt / France) on the theme "History of science and diversity
at the beginning of the 21st century". The following papers
related to the history of mathematics in Africa were presented at the congress:
Marouane Ben Miled (Tunisia): "Algebraic readings of Book X of Euclid’s
Elements between the 9th and the 12th century. Research of unpublished
texts kept in codex 6167 of the National Library of Tunis" (July 10);
Roshdi Rashed (Egypt/France): "The ‘ars inveniendi’ from al-Síjzî
to Ibn al-Haytham" (July 10);
Abdulcarimo Ismael (Mozambique): "An ethnomathematical-historical
study of the ‘tchadji’ game in Northern Mozambique" (July 12);
Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique): "About mathematical activity and cultural
diversity in the history of Central and Southern Africa" (July 12 and
14).
* At the Roundtable Conference ‘Science and Cultural Diversity’ (Science
Week, Madrid, Spain, 5-9 November, 2001, Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique) presented
the theme "Mathematics and Cultural Diversity in Africa" (November
5).
* At the International Conference ‘Gender and Mathematics’ (Essen University,
Essen, Germany, November 30 — December 1, 2001, Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique)
presented the theme "Mathematical ideas embedded in female and male
cultural practices in Central and Southern Africa" (December 1).
3. CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS
* Muhammad Bello (Kano, Nigeria) concluded a paper on the "indigenous
(i.e. pre-Islamic and pre-colonial) Hausa number system."
* Obusitswe Pitso (Gaberone, Botswana), who coordinated the new Botswana
Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum, is doing research for his Ph.
D. on mathematical ideas and practices of the Basarwa (‘Bushmen’) in the
Kgalagadi desert. "My aim is to identify mathematics concepts, skills and
methods of problem solving in the [Basarwa] day to day activities and find
ways of how I can use that mathematics to empower them by integrating it
into the national mathematics curriculum.".
4. NOTES AND QUERIES
This section is reserved for questions that readers would like to have
answered; these are the 'queries'. The answers will be the 'notes'. If
you have questions or answers about sources, dates, names, titles, facts,
or other such matters related to the history of mathematics in Africa,
frame them in clear and concise language and send them to the editors.
If you are answering a question, make clear reference to that question.
All readers may send both questions and answers. Each will be published
with the name of the sender.
* Query from Muhammad Bello (Kano, Nigeria)
We received the following congratulations and query from Muhammad Y. Bello,
deputy vice-chancellor (Academic) of Bayero University (Kano, Nigeria):
"I am a regular receiver and reader of the AMUCHMA Newsletter. Please
accept my congratulations for the excellent job you are doing.
I would be very grateful if you carry the following query in the next
issue of the newsletter:
Inconsistency in Arabic Writing?
It is very common knowledge that Arabic writing is from right to left,
as against Western writing that is left to right. When it comes to writing
numbers, however, Arabic writing seems to be inconsistent — writing from
left to write. Thus, two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five would
be written left to right just as in the Western way:
Is Arabic inconsistent when it comes to writing numbers, or is there
an explanation for this?"
* Query from Mohamed El Tom (Sudan)
"A colleague asked me about the origin of Arabic numerals.
India appears to be the origin of Arabic numerals: 1, 2, etc., and interestingly
enough these are used only in the Arab Maghreb and I have no idea about
the origin of the numerals used in the Arab Mashriq. Any idea?
A second less difficult question is why this difference between the
numerals used between the two sets of Arab countries? Is it the Andalus
connection on the one hand, and the Indian proximity, on the other?"
5. THESES
Hisham Barakat Bisher (al Arish, Egypt) concluded in June 2001 his masters
thesis in ethnomathematics, written in Arabic, under the supervision of
Professor Massouma Kazim, former member of AMUCHMA, at the Ain Shams University
(Cairo, Egypt). His thesis analyses mathematical ideas in nomad Bedouin
culture and possibilities to embed them into mathematics teaching.
6. HAVE YOU READ?
6.1 On the History of Mathematics in Africa
#323 Cuomo, Serafina: Pappos of Alexandria and the Mathematics of
Late Antiquity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK), 2000, 234
pp.
#324 Djebbar, Ahmed & Aballagh, Mohamed: Hayât wa mu'allafât
Ibn al-Bannâ al-Murrâkûshî (1256-1321) [The
life and work of Ibn al-Bannâ], Faculté des Lettres et Sciences
Humaines - Université Mohamed V, Rabat (Morocco), 2001, 238 p.
The book constitutes a bio-bibliographical essay on the most important
mathematician from the Maghreb of the 14th century. It is based essentially
on the handwritten sources from the Maghreb, which the two authors have
studied during this last decade. The book contains a detailed biography
of the mathematician, reconstituted from testimonies both from historians
and from mathematicians who commented on some of his works. It also contains
the complete list of Ibn al-Bannâ’s writings, reconstituted from
information supplied by his commentators, as well as with references from
the libraries containing these manuscripts.
#325 Djebbar, Ahmed: Une histoire de la science arabe (A History
of Arab Science, Ahmed Djebbar interviewed by Jean Rosmorduc), Paris, Editions
du Seuil, 2001, 384 p.
The contents of this book of popularization are presented in 8 chapters
in the form of interviews. The first three treat the emergence and development
of the Moslem Empire, the place of the science in the Arab—Moslem societies
of the 9th — 15th centuries and the role of the ancient heritage in the
development of these sciences. The five remaining chapters are dedicated
to the presentation of the most important scientific disciplines that were
practiced in this civilization: astronomy, mathematics, physics, earth
and life sciences, chemistry.
#326 Gerdes, Paulus: Africa: South of the Sahara, in: Arne Hessenbruch
(Ed.), Reader's Guide to the History of Science, Fitzroy Dearborn
Publications, London, 2000, 13-14
Brief presentation of books on the history of science in Sub-Saharan
Africa (Paper written in 1996).
#327 Gerdes, Paulus: On mathematical ideas in cultural traditions of
Central and Southern Africa, in: Helaine Selin (Ed.), Mathematics
across Cultures: A History of Non-Western Mathematics, Kluwer, Dordrecht,
2000.
#328 Gerdes, Paulus: Ethnomathematics as a new research field, illustrated
by studies of mathematical ideas in African history, in: Juan José
Saldaña (Ed.), Science and Cultural Diversity: Filling
a Gap in the History of Science, Cuadernos de Quipu 5, Mexico City,
2001, 11-36.
#329 Sabra, A.I.: One Ibn al-Haytham or two? An Exercise in Reading
the Bio-Bibliographical Sources, Zeitschrift für Geschichte der
Arabisch-Islamitischen Wissenschaften, 1997, 11, 1-50.
Presents a criticism of R. Rashed’s hypothesis that works attributed
to Ibn al-Haytham are actually the result of the confusion of two different
historical characters, one a mathematician and the other a physician.
#330 Vitrac, Bernard: Euclide, Les Eléments, Volume 4,
Livres XI-XIII, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 2001, 482 p.
It is the last volume of the project of new French translation of Euclid's
elements, based on the Heiberg edition. The first volume was published
in 1990 (cf. AMUCHMA # 94, 107, 141).
6.2 Publications on the History of
Mathematics in Africa, Ethnomathematics and / or Mathematics Education
#331 Gerdes, Paulus: Ethnomathematics,
in: Arne Hessenbruch (Ed.), Reader's Guide to the History of Science,
Fitzroy Dearborn Publications, London, 2000, 227-229
Brief presentation of books on ethnomathematics,
in particular related to Sub-Saharan Africa (Paper written in 1996).
#332 Gerdes, Paulus: On the ‘African
Renaissance’ and Ethnomathe-matical Research, in: Inocente Mutimucuio (Ed.),
Proceedings
of the 9th Conference of the Southern African Association for
Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, SAARMSTE,
Maputo, 2001, Vol. 1, 1-14
#333 Gerdes, Paulus: Intrecci culturali
(Cultural interweavings), in: P. Bellingeri, M. Dedò, S. di Sieno,
C. Turrini (Eds.), Il ritmo delle forme, Itenerario matematico (e non)
nel mondo della simmetria, Mimesis, Milano, 2001, 121-124
Describes some geometrical aspects
of basket weaving in Mozambique.
#334 Gerdes, Paulus: Fantasie geometrico-simmetriche
nell’artigianato africano, in: Michele Emmer (Ed.), Matemática
e Cultura 2001, Springer, Milano, 2001, 3-10
Illustrates some geometrical-symmetrical
aspects of African craft.
#335 Gerdes, Paulus: Exploring the
Game of Julirde, Teaching Children Mathematics, NCTM, Reston VA,
2001, Vol. 7, No. 6 (Focus issue: Mathematics and Culture), 321-327
Illustrates how a game from Cameroon
may be explored in the teaching of geometry.
#336 Jama, Jama Musse: Shax: The preferred
game of our camel herders and other traditional African entertainments,
Sunmoonlake, Roma (Italy), 2000, 40 pp.
Presents an introduction to the ‘shax’
three-in-a-row game from Somalia and two other Somali borad games ‘Layli
Goobaley’ and ‘Korkabood’. It introduces also a computer program for ‘shax’
(cf. www.redsea-online.com/games/shax.html).
#337 Powell, Arthur B. & Oshon
L. Temple: Seeding Ethnomathematics with Oware: Sankofa,
Teaching
Children Mathematics, NCTM, Reston VA, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 6 (Focus issue:
Mathematics and Culture), 369-375
Illustrates how a ‘mancala’ game (cf.
#217, 218, 239, 243, 244) from
the Akan in Ghana may be explored in the mathematics classroom.
#338 White, Dorothy Y: Kenta, Kilts,
and Kimonos: Exploring Cultures and mathematics through Fabrics, Teaching
Children Mathematics, NCTM, Reston VA, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 6 (Focus issue:
Mathematics and Culture), 354-361
Shows, among other examples, how ‘kenta’
cloth from West Africa may be explored in a geometry lesson.
6.3 Other publications on the History
of Mathematics by African mathematicians
#339 Rashed, Rosdi and Vahabzadeh,
B.: Al-Khayyam Mathématicien. Blanchard, Paris, 1999, 429
pp.
Critical editions in French of al-Khayyam’s
works The Algebra, an untitled treatise written before the Algebra,
and a commentary on the difficulties in the postulates of Euclid’s Elements.
6.4 Publications on the History of
Mathematics and the African Diaspora
#340 Donaldson, James & Fleming,
Richard: Elbert F. Cox: An Early Pioneer, American Mathematical Monthly,
Washington, 2000, Vol. 107, 105-128
A biography of Elbert F. Cox, the
first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics.
6.5 Reviews
#341 Barrow, John D. (Cambridge, UK):
Paulus Gerdes’ ‘Geometry from Africa’, PLUS Magazine, June 2001
[http://plus.maths.org/issue15/reviews/book2/] (cf. #279)
#342 Crowe, Donald (Madison, USA):
Paulus Gerdes’ ‘Geometry from Africa’ and ‘Le cercle et le carré’,
The
Mathematical Intelligencer, 23(2) 2001, 65-68 (cf. #279, #308)
#343 Hogendijk, Jan (Utrecht, Netherlands):
Rosdi Rashed and B. Vahabzadeh’s ‘Al-Khayyam Mathématicien’, Mathematical
Reviews, 2000I:01013 (cf. #337)
#344 Johnson, Julia (Sudbury, Canada):
Paulus Gerdes’ ‘Geometry from Africa’, Crux Mathematicorum, September
2000, 278-279 (cf. #279)
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6.6 Mathematical books published in Africa
#345 Njock, G. Edward: Théorie
de Galois et Applications (Galois Theory and Applications), Presses Universitaires
de Yaoundé, Yaoundé (Cameroon), 1999, 142 pp.
Lecture notes of a course given to
students of the ‘Maitrise’ programme at the Mathematics Department of the
University of Yaoundé.
#346 Njock, G. Edward: Introduction
à la Géométrie Projective (Introduction to Projective
Geometry), Presses Universitaires de Yaoundé, Yaoundé (Cameroon),
1999, 157 pp.
Lecture notes of a course given at
the University of Yaoundé, principally to students of the ‘Licence’
programme for future mathematics teachers.
#347 Yacoubi, Nouzha El (Ed.): Proceedings
of the first AMUPAMO Symposium held in Kairouan, Tunisia, from the 31st
of October to the 6th of November 2000 with as Theme: Pan African
Mathematics Olympiads, Training and Research, Presses Universitaires de
Yaoundé, Yaoundé (Cameroon), 2001, 214 pp.
AMUPAMO stands for African Mathematical
Union Commission on Pan African Mathematics Olympiads. The proceedings
include a report of the symposium and the papers presented in English or
French at the plenary sessions:
Aderemi Kuku: Mathematical sciences
and other sciences (107-124);
Jan Persens: Mathematics development
— Striving for a balance between pure and applied mathematics, even at
school level (125-136);
Saliou Touré: Un exemple de
coopération dans les pays francophones d’Afrique et de l’Océan
Indien (137-142);
Claude Deschamps: Les Olympiades Internationales
de Mathématiques (143-152);
Nouzha El Yacoubi: Olympiades Pan Africaines
de Mathématiques de l’Union Mathématique Africaine (155-168);
Francisco Bellot Rosado: La compétition
mathématique méditerranéenne (169-171);
Walter Mientka: The road to the International
Mathematical Olympiad (173-177).
6.7 Mathematical books published by
Africans outside Africa
#348 Alves, Manuel (Mozambique): Equações
Diferenciais Funcionais Singulares de Segunda Ordem (Second order singular
functional differential equations), Perm State University Press, Perm (Russia),
2000, 179 pp.
Doctoral thesis.
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
7.1 CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
* 7th International Colloquium on the
History of Arabic Mathematics
The 7th International Colloquium on
the History of Arabic Mathematics will take place in Marrakech, Morocco
(30 May — 2 June, 2002). A special session will be dedicated to the use
of the research results presented at the earlier colloquia in mathematics
education. The 7th Colloquium is organised by the Research Group in Didactics
of Computer Science and Mathematics (GREDIM) of the ‘École Normale
Supérieure’ of Marrakech.
For more information, see the website
www.ensma.ac.ma/comhisma7
or contact:
Ezzaim Laabid or Abdellah El Idrissi,
ENS, B.P 2400, CP 40 000 Marrakech, Morocco (Tel: +212 44 34 01 25, Fax:
+212 (0) 44 34 22 87, E-mail: comhisma7@ensma.ac.ma)
* Second International Congress of
Ethnomathematics
The Second International Congress
of Ethnomathematics (II-ICEM) will take place in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais,
Brazil (4-7 August 2002). For more information,
contact: Etnomat@ufop.br
For the programme, see the websit
www.II-CIEM.ufop.br
7.2 WEBSITES
Africa-Mathematics-Forum
Abebe Kebede (USA) created a website
on mathematics programmes in Africa and opportunities for research and
collaboration. The site is located at:
trigonal.ncat.edu/Africa-Mathematics-Forum
To join the Africa-Mathematics-Forum
discussion group,
send a message to: Africa-Mathematics-Forum@yahoogroups.com
Africa Journal of Mathematics
Information about the new African Journal
of Mathematics (AJM) can be found at the following website:
www.african-j-math.org
It is expected that the first issue
will appear in 2002. The editor Toka Diagana may be contacted at the following
address:
Department of Mathematics, Howard University,
Washington DC 20059, USA (E-mail: TokaDiag@aol.com, Africa-j-math@usa.net)
Ethiopic Numeral Names
Aberra Molla (Ethiopian Computers
& Software, 9781 W. Fremont Pl., Littleton, Colorado 80128, USA; aberra@ethiopic.com)
organised a web page on Ethiopic numerals: www.ethiopic.com/ethiopic/numerals.htm
Ethnomathematics and ethnomusicology
Marc Chemillier (GREYC, University
of Caen, 14032 Caen, France; E-mail: marc@info.unicaen.fr) is interested
in ethnomathematics and ethnomusicology. The following web page is dedicated
to polyrythms in Central Africa:
www.info.unicaen.fr/~marc/publi/diderot/pygmees.htm
Symbol, Form and Number in Ancient
Egypt
Franz Gnaedinger (Switzerland) concluded
the second volume of his "In the House of Seshat" (cf. #269), entitled
"Symbol, Form and Number in Ancient Egypt". Anyone interested in the text
may order a free copy by writing to the author (fg@seshat.ch). The text
will also be published on the website:
www.seshat.ch
7.3 PAMO 2002
The 12th Pan African Mathematics Olympiad
(PAMO 2002) will take place in Pretoria (South Africa) from April 6 to
14, 2002. For more information, contact the chairperson of the African
Mathematical Union Commission on the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (AMUPAMO),
Nouzha El Yacoubi (Morocco) or the local convener:
Sudan Hansraj, Convener, Local Organising
Committee PAMO 2002, Department of Mathematics, University of Natal, Durban,
South Africa (Fax: +27 31 305 7885, E-mail: hansrajs@nu.ac.za)
7.4 International Association for Science
and Cultural Diversity
The constitutive meeting of the International
Association for Science and Cultural Diversity (IASCUD) took place in Pachuca
(Mexico) on November 29-30, 2000. During the XXI International Congress
on the History of Science (Mexico City, 8-14 July, 2001), the General Assembly
of the International Association for International Union of the History
of and Philosophy of Science / Division of History of Science decided to
formalise IASCUD as one of its specialized sections and Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique)
was elected President of IASCUD. This election reflects, in part, the international
prestige of AMUCHMA.
The aims of IASCUD are:
-
to promote the History of Science by establishing
and extending the scholarly bases for the study of Science and Cultural
Diversity;
-
to foster historical study of the relationship
between the sciences, technology, medicine, and the cultures in which they
arose throughout the world from ancient times to the present;
-
to encourage international cooperation
and maintain close working relationships among specialists of different
disciplines;
-
to facilitate research documentation in
the History of Science and Cultural Diversity for scholars in all countries
through exchange of information and by enlarging the material means necessary
for this objective.
The board of IASCUD has the following
composition:
President: Paulus Gerdes (Mozambique)
Secretary General: Luís Carlos
Arboleda (Colombia)
Treasurer: Wesley Stevens (Canada)
First Vice-President: Karine Chemla
(France)
Second Vice-President: Irfan Habib
(India)
Assistant Secretary General: Martine
Duquesne (France)
Assessor: Kam-Wing Fung (China)
Assessor: Sang-Yong Song (South Korea)
Readers interested in becoming members
of IASCUD, may contact the treasurer to obtain a membership form:
Wesley Stevens, Professor of History,
The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada (E-mail: stevens-w@C-H.UWINNIPEG.CA)
It may be noted that Luís Carlos
Arboleda (Mathematics in the History of Latin America [lca@norma.net]),
Karine Chemla (Mathematics in the History of China [chemla@paris7.jussieu.fr])
and Wesley Stevens (Mathematics in medieval Europe) are historians of mathematics,
and Irfan Habib [irfan@nistads.res.in] dedicated various papers to the
cultural-historical context of the work of Indian mathematicians.
7.5 Female Education in Mathematics
and Science in Africa
The Female Education in Mathematics
and Science in Africa (FEMSA) project is an initiative of the Association
for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and is hosted by the
Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). The main goal of FEMSA
is to improve the participation and performance of girls in science, mathematics
and technology subjects in primary and secondary schools in Africa. FEMSA
completed a two-year pilot phase in 1997. Country profiles of Cameroon,
Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda were compiled. In the second phase Burkina Faso,
Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Swaziland, and Zambia were admitted
to FEMSA. So far FEMSA has published 16 dissemination booklets. Among these
are for instance:
Parents’ and Community Attitudes towards
Girls’ Participation in and Access to Education and Science, Mathematics
and Technology Subjects (#6)
Teachers’ Attitudes to the Study of Science,
Mathematics and Technical Subjects by Girls in Secondary Schools (#7)
Status of Girls’ Participation and Performance
in Science, Mathematics and Technology Subjects in Secondary Schools.
To obtain copies of these publications
or for more information, contact the FEMSA coordinator:
FAWE Secretariat, PO Box 53168, Nairobi
(E-mail: femsa@fawe.org)
8. ADDRESSES
OF SCHOLARS, INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLISHERS MENTIONED IN THIS NEWSLETTER
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Aballagh, Mohamed: Département
de Philosophie, Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, B.P. 50,
Université de Fès, Dhar El-Mehrez, Fès, Morocco
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Alves, Manuel: Department of Mathematics
and Informatics, Eduardo Mondlane University, C.P. 257, Maputo, Mozambique
(E-mail: mjalves@tvcabo.co.mz)
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Assali, Sidi Amar: Département
de Mathématiques, Département de Mathémaitiques, Université
de Laghouat, Algeria
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Barrow, John D.: Director Millennium Mathematics
Project, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University, Wilberforce
Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA (E-mail: j.d.barrow@dampt.cam.ac.uk)
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Bello, Muhammad Yahuza: Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Academic) and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Bayero University,
PMB 3011, Kano, Nigeria (E-mail: mybello2001@yahoo.com)
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Bisher, Hisham Barakat: hie el salaymh-near
of el salam Mosque, al Arish 45111, Egypt (Tel. 002068-350579, E-mail:
hbisher@hotmail.com)
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Bouzari, Abdelmalek: Département
de Mathématiques, ENS de Kouba, 16050 Vieux Kouba, Alger, Algeria
(E-mail: bouzari@hotmail.com)
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Chemillier, Marc: GREYC, University of
Caen, 14032 Caen, France (E-mail: marc@info.unicaen.fr)
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Crowe, Donald: Mathematics Department,
University of Wisconsin, 480 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
(E-mail: crowe@math.wisc.edu)
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Donaldson, James: Mathematics Department,
Howard University, Washington DC 20059, USA
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Doumbia, Salimata: Institut de Recherche
Mathématiques, 08 B.P. 2030, Abidjan 08, Côte d’Ivoire (Tel./Fax:
22 48 64 00)
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El-Idrissi, Abdallah: Département
de Mathématiques, E.N.S. de Marrakech, B.P. S 41, Marrakech, Morocco
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El Tom, Mohamed: Program in Mathematics,
Box 210, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W. 120th Street, New
York, NY 10027, USA (E-mail: meltom41@hotmail.com)
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Gari, Lutfallah: P.O.Box 30344, Yanbu
al-Sinaiyah, Saoudi Arabia
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Gnaedinger, Franz: Hafnerstrasse 60, CH-8005
Zürich, Switzerland (E-mail: fg@seshat.ch)
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Guergour, Youcef: Département de
Mathématiques, ENS de Kouba, 16050 Vieux Kouba, Alger, Algeria (E-mail:
guergour@hotmail.com)
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Guillemot, Michel: 10 impasse de la Pelude,
31400 Toulouse, France (E-mail: guillemo@cict.fr)
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Hogendijk, Jan: Mathematisch Instituut,
Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Postbus 80.100, 3508 TA Utrecht, Netherlands
(E-mail: hogend@math.ruu.nl)
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Hormigon, Mariano: SEHCYT, Facultad de
Ciencias (Matemáticas), Ciudad Universitária, 50009 Zaragoza,
Spain (E-mail: hormigon@posta.unizar.es)
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Ismael, Abdulcarimo: Centro de Investigação
Etnomatemática, C.P. 915, Maputo, Moçambique
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Jama, Jama Musse: Via di Pratale 103 F,
56100 Pisa, Italy (E-mail: jama@dm.unipi.it; shax@redsea-online.com; Website:
www.dm.unipi.it/~jama/ethno/shax.html)
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Johnson, Julia: Department of Mathematics
& Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C5,
Canada (E-mail: julia@cs.laurentian.ca)
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Ould Jidoumou, Ahmedou (Mauritania): (E-mail:
jidoumou@opt.mr)
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Kebede, Abebe: Department of Physics,
NC A&T State University, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411,
USA (E-mail: gutaye@ncat.edu)
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Laabid, Ezzaim (Morocco): (E-mail: ezzaimlaabid@hotmail.com)
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Kuku, Aderemi: ICTP, P.O.Box 586, Miramare,
34100 Trieste, Italy (E-mail: kuku@ictp.trieste.it)
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Molla, Aberra: Ethiopian Computers &
Software, 9781 W. Fremont Pl., Littleton, Colorado 80128, USA (E-mail:
aberra@ethiopic.com)
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Njock, G. Edward: P.O.Box 623, Yaoundé,
Cameroon (Tel/Fax: +237 31 24 25, E-mail: enjock@uycdc.uninet.cm)
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Persens, Jan: President African Mathematical
Union, c/o Director of International Relations, University of the Western
Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535 South Africa (Tel: +27-21-959-2884/3340;
Fax: +27-21-9592655; E-mail: jpersens@uwc.ac.za)
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Pitso, Obusitswe: Department of Maths
and Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Botswana, Private
Bag 22, Gaborone, Botswana (E-mail: pitsoo@mopipi.ub.bw)
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Powell, Arthur: Education and Academic
Foundations Department, Rutgers University, 175 University Avenue, Newark,
New Jersey 07102, USA (E-mail: abpowell@andromeda.rutgers.edu)
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Rosdi Rashed: Centre d'Histoire de Sciences,
27 rue Damesme, 75013 Paris, France
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Selin, Helaine: Science Librarian, Hampshire
College, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 (Fax: 413-559-5419; E-mail: hselin@hampshire.edu)
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Sesiano, Jacques: 4 Avenue du Mail, 1205
Genève, Switzerland
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Spiesser, Maryvonne (France): (E-mail:
spiesser@cict.fr)
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Temple, Oshon L. (USA): (E-mail: oshon.temple@oberlin.edu)
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Touré, Saliou: Institut de Recherche
Mathématiques, 08 B.P. 2030, Abidjan 08, Côte d’Ivoire (Tel./Fax:
22 48 64 00)
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Vitrac, Bernard: 82 rue du Poirier Baron,
95110, Sannois, France
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White, Dorothy Y: Department of Mathematics
Education, University of Georgia, 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens GA 30602, USA
(E-mail: dwhite@coe.uga.edu)
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Yacoubi, Nouzha El: Department of Mathematics
and Informatics, PO Box 1014, Rabat, Morocco (Fax: +212 37 77 30 44, E-mail:
elyac-sb@fsr.ac.ma, nelyacoubi@yahoo.fr)
Zerrouki, Moktadir: Cité Hassein
Mahiouz, Bt. B 11, no. 98, Ben Aknoun, Alger, Algeria
9. SUGGESTIONS
What are your suggestions for improving
the AMUCHMA Newsletter?
What are your suggestions for other
activities of AMUCHMA?
Send your suggestions, comments, information,
questions and any other contributions to the chairman or secretary of AMUCHMA.
Send articles, books and manuscripts
for the AMUCHMA Documentation Centre to the Chairman or Secretary.
10. DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THE NEXT
AMUCHMA-NEWSLETTER?
The AMUCHMA Newsletter, published
in Arabic, English and French, is available free of charge upon request.
Send requests to the Chairman
Paulus Gerdes: Centro de Investigação
Etnomatemática, C.P. 915, Maputo, Mozambique (Fax: 258-1-494504;
E-mail: pgerdes@virconn.com)
for the English version; or to the Secretary
Ahmed Djebbar: G.H.D.S.O., Bt. 307,
Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
(Fax: 33-1-47015917; E-mail: Ahmed.Djebbar@wanadoo.fr)
for the French and Arabic versions.
Readers who would like to receive the
AMUCHMA Journal in Portuguese should contact the chairman, C.P. 915, Maputo,
Mozambique.
11. AMUCHMA-NEWSLETTER website
Thanks to Scott Williams, the English
language edition of all issues of the AMUCHMA Newsletter is also accessible
on the following website:
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/AMU/amuchma_online.html
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