Neither mathematics nor rationality are ‘European’

Regardless of the merits of the concepts the ida of "decolonising" mathematics rest on shaky assumptions: to be "de"colonised you first have to have been colonised. As the article notes as length. Mathematics has a long history of absorbing ideas from other cultures, sharing of ideas and rsults has a long history going back to at least the Rhind papyrus. The origin of ideas is ofen taught alongside the ideas themselves in maths courses not least as it adds insights into how the ideas arose, why they are important and how they are connected with other areas of mathematics, Even in schools children are taught that we use the "Hindu-arabic" numbers. The qualifier is quickly dropped as it is an unnecessary circumlocution, unless you are discussing multiple number systems. Modern mathematical practices became more heavily influenced by European thought in the 19th century for multiple reasons: mass printing leading to the availability of texts and journals. The concern for greater formality and attention to foundational issues brought as reactions to paradoxes in the logical foundations. questions over new ideas. And with the emergence of the upstart sub-branch "computer science" newquestions: how to build formal systems that could support mechanical proof. Is computation a legitimate part of a proof [cf the four colour theorem], or what is a mathematical proof etc etc. These concerns had the effect of shaping the direction of travel, and expectations on what was accepted. Nothing to do with colonialisation: As Hardy set out . Mathematics stands or fails on a small number of criteria: generality, importance but above all elegance and beauty. Results that pass these tests become used, known. those that do not fall into obsurity. If some bodies o work are not as well known as others the appropriate place to look is those criteria, rater than the cultural baggageassociated with their development. "Post modernism: can be left where it belongs, in the drawer of historical relic