Queer(y)ing Mathematical Knowledge and Practices

What does mathematics, broadly viewed, have to do with queer concerns or theory? In contributing to a collection of pieces that engage with new influences on the discipline – particularly in the ways that knowledge is produced, understood, and shared – this chapter considers some aspects of queer visibility that have affected and continue to shape professional and pedagogical sensibilities. Adopting an analytic approach found within queer theory that serves to expose often overlooked concerns, it centers small and sometimes tenuous acts as meaningful interventions. It also calls attention to the transformative potential associated with the adoption of recuperative practices as well as the liminal and generative spaces that exist for reorienting perspectives. A contextualizing section outlines both the historical appropriations of the term “queer” and the rhetorical intentions served by adopting it as a signifier throughout this chapter. Also included in it are brief overviews of queer theory as well as some of the theoretical frameworks adopted by its foundational contributors. Attending to relevant vocabulary and motives provides a backdrop for considering the scope of professional visibility, support, and resources related to queer practitioners in mathematics and other science-related subjects. Subsequent sections survey efforts at queering mathematics curricula and educational practices. While the first of these addresses possibilities most closely related to K-12 education, particular attention is paid to exploring ways that mathematical courses and content aimed at undergraduate students and majors can be queered.