Who Counts?

The Mathematics of Death and Life After Genocide

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Central America, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Who Counts? by Diane M. Nelson, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Diane M. Nelson ISBN: 9780822375074
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: November 5, 2015
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Diane M. Nelson
ISBN: 9780822375074
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: November 5, 2015
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In Who Counts? Diane M. Nelson explores the social life of numbers, teasing out the myriad roles math plays in Guatemalan state violence, economic exploitation, and disenfranchisement, as well as in Mayan revitalization and grassroots environmental struggles. In the aftermath of thirty-six years of civil war, to count—both numerically and in the sense of having value—is a contested and qualitative practice of complex calculations encompassing war losses, migration, debt, and competing understandings of progress. Nelson makes broad connections among seemingly divergent phenomena, such as debates over reparations for genocide victims, Ponzi schemes, and antimining movements. Challenging the presumed objectivity of Western mathematics, Nelson shows how it flattens social complexity and becomes a raced, classed, and gendered skill that colonial powers considered beyond the grasp of indigenous peoples. Yet the Classic Maya are famous for the precision of their mathematics, including conceptualizing zero long before Europeans. Nelson shows how Guatemala's indigenous population is increasingly returning to Mayan numeracy to critique systemic inequalities with the goal of being counted—in every sense of the word. 

 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Who Counts? Diane M. Nelson explores the social life of numbers, teasing out the myriad roles math plays in Guatemalan state violence, economic exploitation, and disenfranchisement, as well as in Mayan revitalization and grassroots environmental struggles. In the aftermath of thirty-six years of civil war, to count—both numerically and in the sense of having value—is a contested and qualitative practice of complex calculations encompassing war losses, migration, debt, and competing understandings of progress. Nelson makes broad connections among seemingly divergent phenomena, such as debates over reparations for genocide victims, Ponzi schemes, and antimining movements. Challenging the presumed objectivity of Western mathematics, Nelson shows how it flattens social complexity and becomes a raced, classed, and gendered skill that colonial powers considered beyond the grasp of indigenous peoples. Yet the Classic Maya are famous for the precision of their mathematics, including conceptualizing zero long before Europeans. Nelson shows how Guatemala's indigenous population is increasingly returning to Mayan numeracy to critique systemic inequalities with the goal of being counted—in every sense of the word. 

 

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book The World of Lucha Libre by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Arrogant Beggar by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Authentic Blackness by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Habeas Viscus by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Paper Cadavers by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book The Queer Art of Failure by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Yugoslav-American Economic Relations Since World War II by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Wandering Paysanos by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Pretend We're Dead by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Cold War Ruins by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Regulating Confusion by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Birth of an Industry by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book The Untimely Present by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Dissent from the Homeland by Diane M. Nelson
Cover of the book Talking to the Dead by Diane M. Nelson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy