Learning to assemble the hidden bodies: Embodied and emplaced mathematical literacy in transnational migrant activism

ABSTRACT

Background

We situate the mobilization of mathematical literacy as a tool to see and redress social and historical dilemmas (Engeström, 2014; Gutiérrez, 2016) rooted in the geo-economic politics of race, gender, and class.

Methods

Using collaborative ethnography, we describe how mathematical literacy was mobilized by an activist collective that intervened against violence toward migrant women. Our research considers a long period of development to examine how the activism impacted bodily politics, community, and relevant policies.

Findings

Our findings illustrate how the collective of activists led by a migrant woman of color countered the official data that did not reveal marginalized voices. Critical synthesis of embodiment and emplacement allowed us to examine how the mobilization of mathematical literacy became consequential (Jurow et al., 2016) in two interrelated aspects: 1) embodiment, the process through which the historically hidden bodies of migrant women came to be visible and assembled and 2) emplacement, the transformation of a place toward gathering disparate bodies.

Contribution

Our work contributes to expanding the geo-political terrain of scholarship in the learning sciences by bringing forth the history of activism led by Filipina migrants in Japan, which in turn shines a light on traditionally masked epistemology key to mobilizing mathematical literacy for solidarity.

Acknowledgments

We appreciate all the volunteers who supported the activity of the Filipino Migrants Centre. Thank you, Dr. Joe Curnow and Dr. Susan Jurow, for their leadership on the Special Issue: Learning in and For Collective Action. We are thankful for the constructive feedback we received from Dr. Jasmine Ma and anonymous reviewers on earlier versions of this manuscript. We appreciate the conversations the authors had with Dr. Indigo Esmonde, Dr. Lesley Dookie, Dr. Kris Gutiérrez, and Dr. Pratim Sengupta, on conceptualization of this article. We also appreciate Dr. Sachi Takahata for her work and support.

Notes

¹ Koban is a small police station seen in various neighborhoods in Japan. This idiosyncratic system was established in 1874. Typically, a few (usually one or two) police officers address various activities including dealing with stolen and lost objects, going around the neighborhood with a bike for patrolling, and giving directions, often outside of interventions to major crimes.

² The city consisted of 16 wards and the ward office refers to a smaller division of City Hall, which was in charge of the particular ward wherein FMC was located.

³ The demonstration of a gender binary here is problematic because it masks the experience of gender queer or non-binary people. This binary comparison is strategic to highlight the characteristics of Filipino migrant community in Japan. We acknowledge the significance of discussion on this data, in light of the experiences of migrants who are gender queer and non-binary.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [12J02927]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency.