Reconceptualizing ethnomathematical knowledge: A recursive framework of culture, practice, cognition, and mathematization

Abstract

Addressing the lack of integrative theoretical models in ethnomathematics, this article proposes the Culture–Practice–Cognition–Mathematization (CPCM) framework as a culturally grounded approach for interpreting ethnomathematical knowledge. The framework conceptualizes ethnomathematical knowledge as a decentralized system of relations among culture, practice, cognition, and mathematization, shifting attention from the identification of isolated mathematical elements toward the processes through which knowledge is constituted, transmitted, and transformed within culturally situated activities. Culture is understood as the epistemological ground that shapes the meaning and legitimacy of knowledge; practice as the domain in which knowledge is enacted; cognition as the process through which knowledge is interpreted and generalized; and mathematization as the process through which relationships become represented, modelled, and systematized. Rather than treating mathematization as a final stage leading toward formal mathematics, the framework views it as one dimension within a broader system of knowledge formation. The explanatory potential of the framework is illustrated through an analytical vignette of the Mongolian ger. Overall, the CPCM framework provides an integrative perspective for examining ethnomathematical knowledge across diverse cultural contexts and offers a foundation for future empirical and educational research.