This book is of interest to mathematics educators, researchers in mathematics education, gender, social justice, equity and democracy in education; and practitioners/teachers interested in the use of project work in mathematics teaching and learning. The book builds theoretical ideas from a careful substantial description of practice, in the attempt to improve both theory and practice in mathematics education. It thus interrogates and develops theoretical research tools for mathematics education and provides ideas for practice in mathematics classrooms.

This book examines the current thinking on five critical social and political areas in mathematics education. It focuses on material conditions in teaching and learning, and details features of social life and their influence on mathematics teaching, learning and achievement. Following an introduction, the first section addresses equitable access and participation in quality mathematics education. It explores this issue in different contexts and from different ideological perspectives. The second section traces the emergence and development of the notion of activism in mathematics...