Mathematics Education and the Substitution Problem

This essay aims to discuss how what Nancy Fraser called the Substitution Problem constitutes a contradiction in the production of knowledge that lends itself to providing theoretical foundations for the formative processes that permeate Mathematics and to which Mathematics Education lends itself, that is, how the Substitution Problem constitutes a curricular injustice in the production of knowledge in Mathematics Education. In terms of structure, this essay, which is methodologically oriented as an exercise inspired by the reconstruction of Jürgen Habermas' theory, presents a systematic exposition of the historicity of Mathematics Education in Brazil as an area of knowledge production, followed by notes on the theoretical basis of the criticism exercised, more specifically Nancy Fraser's two-dimensional perspective of Social Justice, highlighting the theoretical construct called the Substitution Problem. What follows is a reconstructive perspective of current cultural productions in the field, which must (or should) take the economic dimension into account in their reflections, analyses, and discussions. The essay concludes by discussing how overcoming this curricular injustice in Mathematics Education constitutes an emancipatory potential in the formative processes of Mathematics in the education/training of people in our times.

Keywords:
Nancy Fraser; Social Justice; Philosophy; Mathematics; Curriculum