ABSTRACT
Usually when asked the question “Are you good at math?” or “Did you get a good grade in math?” you are not being asked about an ability or knowledge that is accessible to and used by all. Rather than the mathematics we all practice in everyday life, these questions refer to a mathematics with a capital M, a mathematics that is found in textbooks, classified into topics, and examined in schools. This version of mathematics, the type that is available through a formal education, has acquired an international status and value beyond its usefulness purely as mathematics. The question “Did you get a good grade in math?” is primarily a query into an individual’s status. Carrying a “good grade” in mathematics is comparable to carrying a form of currency, in that it gives you power to do things, such as enrolling in certain university courses and pursuing certain careers, that those without it do not have.
