Os artesões do Alto do Moura: uma investigação etnomatemática

Abstract

This research aims to accomplish a critical study involving an analytical reflection on the construction of ceramic pieces of figurative art of Alto do Moura in Caruaru, a city of Pernambuco state in Brazil. We intend to detect, understand and analyze the mathematical knowledge involving these artistic pieces. Thus, we also observed how the potters transmit their knowledge to future generations. The research has been conducted with 6 artisans from Alto do Moura. Semi-structured and interviews were focused on the artisans and the qualitative data analysis was guided by the discourse analysis. Results showed that there is a popular mathematical language that expresses the knowledge created/ recreated in a popular scope. And we find that this language demonstrates that some concepts conveyed in schools are considered as being unique, but in fact they are not. When we apply in schools the assumptions of Ethnomathematics it is necessary a receptive-orientation in order to accept, understand and respect concepctions that are different from those which are usually transmitted as unique.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Supervisor	Maria das Graças Andrade Ataíde de Almeida (Supervisor) & OSCAR CONCEIÇÃO DE SOUSA (Supervisor)