“How many sums can I do”? Performative strategies and diffractive thinking as methodological tools for rethinking mathematical subjectivity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/rerm.173Abstract
The aim of this article is to illustrate how the understanding of mathematical subjectivity changes when transiting theoretically and methodologically from a discursive and performative thinking, as suggested by Judith Butler (1990, 1993, 1997), to an agential realist and diffractive thinking, inspired by Karen Barad’s theories (2007, 2008). To show this I have examined narrative memory stories about mathematics written by students participating in Teacher Education maths courses. I provide examples of such stories and present an in-depth analysis of one such story. The first part of the analysis has been carried out using performative methodological strategies – in relation to Judith Butler’s theories – while the latter part of analysis has been performed with the aid of diffractive methodological thinking – in relation to Barad’s theoretical perspectives. When summarising the different analyses, it becomes evident that the understanding of data – and of me as researcher – changes when transiting from one theoretical and methodological arena to another. Depending on which questions we pose, what methodological strategies we use, and which theoretical fields we get involved in, we would see and understand this differently.Metrics
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).