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Home > Members > Members Webpages > VANDENDRIESSCHE Eric

VANDENDRIESSCHE Eric

Researcher (Chargé de recherché, Section 38- Anthropology)
at the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) (Sept., 2016-)

CV


Member of the SPHERE UMR 7219 "Sciences, Philosophy, History" Laboratory, CNRS / Paris Diderot University


Contact me

- Research interests
- Collaborative projects
- Publications
- Some communications

Cursus


2010 - DOCTORAT, Paris Diderot University (Paris 7)
Ph.D. in "Epistemology and history of sciences" entitled String figures as mathematics?, Obtained with distinction. Supervisor: Karine Chemla, historian of mathematics (CNRS) and Sophie Desrosiers, anthropologist (EHESS). Jury members: Karine Chemla and Sophie Desrosiers, Marc Chemillier, Philippe Descola, Patrick Popescu-Pampu, Ivahn Smadja, Jean-Jacques Szczeciniarz and Dominique Tournès.


2004 - DEA "Epistemology and history of sciences", Paris Diderot University
Diplomes d’études approfondies - Equivalent to a Master. Thesis on "Ethnomathematics" entitled String figures: a mathematical activity in some traditional societies of the Arctic and Oceania.

1992 - AGREGATION in Mathematics
Highest level secondary school teaching qualification, obtained through competitive examination.


1987 - MAITRISE in Mathematics, Paris 7 University
Examination to obtain the fourth-year grade in French University. Equivalent to an M.Sc.



Research interests


- Research in ethnomathematics: study of the mathematical knowledge and practice that underlie activities with geometric and algorithmic characteristics (such as string figure-making, sand drawing, mat-making, etc.) carried out in oral traditional societies (Oceania & South America).

- Historiography of ethnomathematics: research on the influence of historians/philosophers of science and anthropologists (19th c. – mid-20th c.) on the recognition––or non-recognition––of genuine mathematical knowledge developed in oral tradition societies worldwide.

- Historiography of numbers/numeration systems (19th c. – mid-20th c.) developed in oral tradition societies.



Collaborative projects


  • Co-responsible for the SPHERE “Field of Science: Uses of Ethnography in History, Philosophy and Anthropology of Science” axes of research (with historian of science Guillaume Lachenal, Université Paris Diderot) (2012-)
  • Co-organizer of Des ‘arts de penser’ les mathématiques” Seminar/Master course at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) with Sophie Desrosiers (anthropologist, EHESS), and Marc Chemillier (ethnomusicologist, EHESS).



Publications


Thesis

  • String figures as mathematics?, Ph.D. THESIS, Doctorat in "Epistemology and history of sciences", Paris Diderot University, 2010.
  • Les jeux de ficelle : Témoins d’une activité mathématique en Arctique et en Océanie, MASTER Thesis, Paris Diderot University (Paris 7), 2004.

Book

  • Indigenous Knowledge and Ethnomathematics, Eric Vandendriessche & Rik Pinxten (Eds), Springer Nature, In press.



Book Chapters

  • VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2022, In press). Sand Drawing versus String Figure Making: Geometric and Algorithmic Practices in Northern Ambrym, Vanuatu. In Indigenous Knowledge and Ethnomathematics, Eric Vandendriessche et Rik Pinxten (Eds), Springer Nature.
  • —, (upcoming, 2022). Lévy-Bruhl’s theory on prelogical mentality and its influence on the field of history and philosophy of science: Léon Brunschvicg (1869-1944) / Abel Rey (1873-1940). In Karine Chemla et Agathe Keller (Eds), Writing Histories of Ancient Mathematics. Reflecting on Past Practices and Opening the Future, Col. “Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter”, Dordrecht: Springer.



Articles In Peer-reviewed Scientific Journals

  • VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2022). The concrete numbers of the primitive societies. Historia Mathematica, 59, p. 12-34.
  • VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2020). A New Symbolic Writing for Encoding String Figure Procedures. Bulletin of the International String Figure Association. vol. 26, 2019, p. 182-208.
  • —, (2018). Anthropologie des nombres et ethnomathématique. L’Homme, 225, p. 185-198.

Collaborative Peer-reviewed Publications

  • VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. & PINXTEN, R. (2022, in press). Conclusion to Indigenous Knowledge and Ethnomathematics: Some lines of possible further research in ethnomathematics. In Indigenous knowledge and Ethnomathematics, E. Vandendriessche et R. Pinxten (Eds), Springer Nature.
  • FRANÇOIS, K. & VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2022, in press). A philosophical investigation of local mathematical practices. Proceedings of the Twelfth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME 12), Bolzano, Italy from February 2-5, 2022 (online conference)
  • PROUST, C. & VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2022). Introduction – A critical approach to the opposition between “concrete” and “abstract” numbers. In “Concrete numbers” versus “abstract numbers”: an anthropological, historical, historiographical and didactical approach, C. Proust & E. Vandendriessche (eds), Special Issue, Historia Mathematica, 59, p. 3–11
  • HENRI, A. & VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2020). Les jeux de ficelle en Nouvelle-Calédonie : une recherche de terrain inédite de Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre (1941-2007). Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 151, p. 177-196.

Articles in Scientific Journals

VANDENDRIESSCHE, E. (2016). Variabilité culturelle de la numératie : quelques points d’entrée dans la littérature ethnomathématique, Statistique et Société, 4 (1), p. 51-55.


Filmography

Kaninikula, Mathematics in the Trobriand Islands, Scientific documentary, 26 min, Produced by CNRS Images, March 2012 (English version 2015).
Online on the website of the CNRS Images


Edition

  • Co-Editor (with Christine Proust) of the the special issue “Concrete numbers” versus “abstract numbers”: an anthropological, historical, historiographical and didactical approach, Historia Mathematica, In press.
  • Co-Editor (with Céline Petit and Alexandre Lambelet) of the issue n°29 of the French Online Journal ethnographiques.org "Ethnologie et (ethno)mathématiques", December 2014.



Some communications


International conferences

2019

  • "(Ethno)mathematics in oral tradition societies: the case of sand drawings and string figures from Vanuatu" – Lecture given at the “School of Mathematics and Statistics”, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, June 4.

  • "Etnomatematik blong sandroin, string figa, mo mat praktis blong Vanuatu : wan risej ripot (Ethnomathematics of sand drawings, string figures, and mat making; a research report)" – Lecture given at the Cultural Centre of Vanuatu, Port Vila, July 17.


2018

  • "Geometric and algorithmic practices in oral tradition societies: the case of sand drawings and string figures from Vanuatu" – Lecture given as part of the Open Panel “Indigenous Mathematical Knowledge and Practices: (Crossed-) Perspectives from An-thropology and Ethnomathematics”, 18th International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) World Congress, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Brazil. July 16-20.

  • "Modelling tools for investigating the (ethno-)mathematical aspects of string figure making practices" – Lecture given as part of the international “Investigating String Figure-Making Practices: Ethnomathematical, Anthropological, and Technical Approaches” workshop (ANR ETKnoS), Université Paris Diderot, Paris, May 24-26.

  • "Overview of the research methodology used for the ETKnoS project" – Lecture given (with Agnès Henri) as part of the international “Investigating String Figure-Making Practices: Ethnomathematical, Anthropological, and Technical Approaches” workshop (ANR ETKnoS), Université Paris Diderot, Paris, May 24-26.



2017

  • "How Local Are Local People? Beyond Exoticism" – Lecture given (with Maria Cecilia Fantinato et Karen François) as part of the 9th International Conference of Mathematics Education and Society (MES 9), Greece, Volos, April 7–12.

  • "Yup’ik String Figures" – Lecture given (with Céline Petit) as part of the international “The Implementation of Local Mathematical Practices into the Mathematics Curriculum” (ANR ETKnoS) workshop, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, May 26.


2016

  • "Lévy-Bruhl’s theory on ‘prelogical mentality’ and its influence on the field of history and philosophy of science" – Lecture given in English, as part of the international “Writing histories of ancient mathematics – Reflecting on past practices and opening the future, 18th – 21st centuries”, Paris, Conference organized by the ERC “Mathematical Sciences in Ancient World” (SAW) project, October 24-28.

  • "Pratiques mathématiques dans un contexte de tradition orale et leurs usages pour une éducation mathématique culturellement située" (Mathematical practices in an oral tradition context and their value for a culturally-related mathematics education) – Plenary Lecture given at the opening of the "Didactics of Mathematics Group from Quebec" Conference, Ottawa, May 30 – June 1.


2015

  • "String figures as mathematics: a study in ethnomathematics" – Association for the Philosophy of Mathematical Practice (APMP) International Conference, Paris, November 4.

  • "Sand drawings from Vanuatu: Algorithmic Practices in Oral Tradition Societies" – Invited speaker, Conference "Computing in Europe" – "History and Philosophy of Computing" Session , Bucarest, June 29 – July 3.

  • "Politics in Ethnomathematics: An Epistemological, Historical and Educational Perspective" – Lecture given in English with Karen François, as part of the international conference "Mathematics, Education and Society", Portland, USA, June 21-26.


  • "Reassembling mathematical practices: A philosophico-anthropological approach" – Lecture given in English with Karen François, as part of the international conference "Culture of Mathematics IV", New Delhi, India, March 22-25.

2008

  • "On some questions raised by ethnomathematics for the history of mathematics in Europe as much as in Asia" – Lecture given in English with Agathe Keller as part of the workshop "Actors’ and observers’ categories in East and West, changing typologies of science in practice and scholarship" organized by the Needham Research Institute, Cambridge, December 5.


Seminars and national conferences

2019

  • "Activités géométriques et algorithmiques dans des sociétés de tradition orale : le cas des dessins sur le sable du Nord de l’île d’Ambrym (Vanuatu)" – Lecture given as part of the “Sciences Humaines et Sociales –SHS” Seminar, Institut de Recherche pour le Développe-ment (IRD), Nouméa, April 11.


2018

  • "Ethnomathématique des dessins sur le sable du Nord Ambrym (Vanuatu") – Lecture given as part of the “Practices, Arifacts and Mathematics: ethnomathematics, Anthropology, His-tory” Seminar, Ecole des Hautes Ettudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), June 6.

  • "Initiation aux « jeux de ficelle » : aperçu de la dimension algorithmique de cette pratique" – Workshop organized (with Céline Petit) as part of the “Practices, Arifacts and Mathematics: ethnomathematics, Anthropology, History” Seminar, Ecole des Hautes Ettudes en Sci-ences Sociales (EHESS), February 7.

  • "Les jeux de ficelle : aspects anthropologiques et mathématiques (ANR ETKnoS)" – Lec-ture given (with Céline Petit) as part of the “Practices, Arifacts and Mathematics: ethnomathematics, Anthropology, History” Seminar, Ecole des Hautes Ettudes en Sciences So-ciales (EHESS), March 7.


2017

  • "Modélisation des savoir-faire (ethno-)mathématiques : le cas des jeux de ficelle" – Lecture given as part of the "Savoir-faire mathématiques" Conference, “Philosophies et Rationalités” laboratory, Clermont Ferrand University, September 14-15.

  • "Elaborer/encoder/transmettre différentes formes de savoir dans la réalisation de figures de ficelle" – Lecture given as part of the “Pratiques, artefacts et mathématiques. Ethnomathématique, anthropologie, histoire” Seminar, EHESS, May 17.

  • "Etude mathématique des jeux de ficelle : contribution de quelques mathématiciens du 20e siècle" – Lecture given as part of the “Histoire des jeux et de leurs théories mathématiques”, Lille 1 University, May 15.

  • "Introduction à l’ethmathématique" – Lecture given (with Céline Petit) as part of the “Pratiques, artefacts et mathématiques. Ethnomathématique, anthropologie, histoire” Seminar, EHESS, March 3.

  • "Ethmathématique(s)" – Lecture given as part of the “Doctorants en histoire des sciences”. Ethnomathématique, anthropologie, histoire” Seminar, EHESS, January 31.


2016

  • "Qu’est-ce que les numérations utilisées dans les sociétés dites ‘primitives’ ont de ‘concret’?" – Lecture given in English as part of the “Une approche critique de l’opposition entre « nombres concrets » et « nombres abstraits » : points de vue anthropologique, historique, et didactique” workshop organized by the SPHERE “History and Philosophy of Mathematics” Seminar, November 14.

  • "Programmer les dessins sur le sable de Vanuatu: nouvelles perspectives d’une recherche ethnomathématique" (programming sand drawings from Vanuatu : novel perspective in ethnomathematics)– Lecture given with Alban Da Silva as part of the "Code source" (Source code), "History of science and Philosophy" laboratory (Archives Poincaré, Nancy Univ.), May 25.


  • "Readings of Primitive Culture, Edward Tylor (1871): ‘The science of Culture’ and ‘The art of counting’" – Lecture given as part of the SPHERE “Critical reflections on the usages of the Concepts of ‘Practice’ and ‘Culture’ in History and Philosophy of Science” Seminar, May 4.


  • "Estimating quantities of yams in the Trobriand Islands" – Lecture given in English as part of the “Mathematical work on measurement units” Workshop, organized by the ERC “Mathematical Sciences in Ancient World” (SAW) project and the SPHERE “History and Philosophy of Mathematics” Seminar, April 4.

2015

  • "Modéliser les jeux de ficelle : une recherche en ethnomathématique" (Modelling string figure-making : a research in ethnomathematics) – Session "Mathématiques et jeux : histoires croisées" (Mathematics and games : connected history), "History of Mathematics" Henri Poincaré Institute Seminar, Paris, december 18.

  • "Des prémices d’une anthropologie des pratiques mathématiques à la constitution d’un nouveau champ disciplinaire : l’ethnomathématique" (From the premises of an anthropology of mathematical practices to a novel disciplinary field : ethnomathematics) – lecture given with Céline Petit, "Histoire des sciences humaines et sociales" (History of Humanties and Social sciences) Conference, ENS Ulm, Paris, November 6.

  • "Pratiques mathématiques dans un contexte de tradition orale : le cas des jeux de ficelle et des dessins sur le sable de Vanuatu" (Mathematical practices in an oral tradition context: the case of string figure-making and sand drawings), Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur l’Océanie (CREDO), February 13.


2014

  • "Sand drawings and string figures from Vanuatu: comparative study of mathematical practices" – "Art of Judgement" seminar, Max Planck Institute for History of Science, Berlin, September 29.

  • "Ethnomathématiques des jeux de ficelle trobriandais" (Ethnomathematics of Trobrianders’ string figures) – André Revuz didactic laboratory (LDAR, Univ. Paris 7), February 14.

2013

  • "Paroles et algorithmes dans les jeux de ficelle trobriandais" (Words and algorithms within Trobrianders’ string figures) – Lecture given as part of the Symposium « e-Toile Paci-fique », organized by the Centre de recherche et de documentation sur l’Océanie (CREDO), Paris, October 3.

  • "Ethnographie(s) d’une pratique à caractère mathématique : réflexion sur les outils et méthodes d’enquête appliqués à l’activité « jeux de ficelle » dans différentes sociétés de tradition orale (Trobriandais de PNG, Inuit du Canada, Mapuche de Patagonie)? " (Ethnography of a mathematical practice: reflection on methods and conceptual tools for studying string figure-making in three oral tradition societies (Trobriander, PNG, Canadian Inuit, Mapuche from Patagonia) – Lecture given with Céline Petit as part of the worshop "Anthropologie des sciences", organized by the team “Approches ethnographiques en histoire des sciences” of the SPHERE laboratory, June 28.


  • Ethnomathematics seminar (EHESS, Lab. SPHERE) – 3 sessions:

    - "L’ethnomathématique, de sa préhistoire aux travaux fondateurs" (Ethnomathematics, since its prehistory to the seminal works), March 20.
    - "Qu’est-ce qu’une activité à caractère géométrique ? " (How is an activity recognized as geometrical?), March 27.
    - "Des savoirs autochtones pour enseigner les mathématiques" (Indigenous knowledge for teaching mathematics), April 17.


  • "Activités à caractère mathématique dans des sociétés de tradition orale : le cas de jeux de ficelle" (Mathematical activities in an oral tradition context) – Lecture given as part of the "Atelier d’histoire des sciences" of the Pierre et Marie Curie University, April 8.

2012

  • "Les jeux de ficelle : des algorithmes pour mémoriser et exprimer certains savoirs ? Quelques éléments de comparaison sur trois aires culturelles" (String figure-making : memorizing and expressing knowledge through algorithms ? Some comparative date between three cultural areas – Lecture given with Céline Petit et Ana Guevara as part of the workshop Arts de mémoire et pratiques à caractère mathématique (Arts of memory and mathematical practices), organized the research team "Ethnomathematics of string figure-making", laboratory SPHERE, Paris Diderot University /CNRS, December 3.

  • "Ehtnomathématiques des jeux de ficelle" (Ethnomathematics of string figures) – "History and Epistemology" seminar of the Institute of Research in Mathematical Education (IREM), March 31.

  • "Les jeux de ficelle : un art de mémoire ? " (String figures: an art of memory?) – Seminar "Anthropology of Memory" coordinated by Carlo Severi, Ecoles des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), January 25.

2011

  • "Les opérations élémentaires des algorithmes de jeux de ficelle" (The elementary operations in the string figure algorithms) – Lecture given as part of the "Elementary operations, Fundamental operations" workshop organized as part of the "History and Philosophy of mathematics" seminar, SPHERE, November 14.


Science outreach activities


Editor of the Online CultureMATH Revue, Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris (ENS) and National Ministry of Education, 2008-2013.


Articles

« String Games: Indicators of Mathematical Activity », Bulletin of the International String Figure Association, Vol. 15, 2008, p. 52-69.

« Les jeux de ficelle : témoins d’une activité mathématique , CultureMATH - ENS Ulm Paris, 2007

« Les jeux de ficelle », Dossier spécial de « Pour la Science », avril 2005


Lectures and Workshops

2019

  • "Jeux de ficelle et Tressages de Mélanésie : ethnomathématique et cognition humaine" – Public Lecture given as part of the “Haizebegi” Festival, Salle Antoine d’Abbadie, Place Sokoburu, Hendaye, October 12.

  • "Un aperçu de l’ethnomathématique : des prémices à la constitution d’un nouveau champ disciplinaire" – Lecture given as part of the “Les ethnomathématiques à l’école” workshop, Teacher Continuing Education “Langues et cultures océaniennes”, ESPE, University of New Caledonia, April 12.

  • "Ethnomathématiques des jeux de ficelle de Nouvelle-Calédonie" – Workshop organized as part of the “Les ethnomathématiques à l’école” one-day workshop, Teacher Continuing Education “Langues et cultures océaniennes”, ESPE, University of New Caledonia, April 12.

  • "Pāngarau ā-Iwi Whai (Ethnomathematics of Maori String Figures)" –Lecture given as part of the Pāngarau ā-Iwi (Ethnomathematics Wānanga) workshop, University of Canterbury & Ngati Wheke Maori Community, June 6.


2017

  • "Mathématiques dans des sociétés orales : Le cas des jeux de ficelle et des dessins sur le sable mélanésiens" – Public Lecture given as part of the “Researchers/Teachers Meetings”, La maison des sciences, Châtenay-Malabry, June 6.


2015

  • "String Figures as Mathematics? An Anthropological Approach to String Figure-making in Oral Tradition Societies" (Springer, 2015) – Presentation of my book as part of the session Mesures, motifs, figures. Dialogue entre mathématique et ethnologie (Measures, motives, patterns. Dialogue between mathematics and ethnology), conducted by Dominique Casajus, Rentrée littéraire de la MAE, Paris Ouest Nanterre University, November 18.

2013

  • De l’eau dans l’histoire des sciences (Water in the History of Science) – Program of 6 interdisciplinary workshops and 2 lectures (that I coordinated) for elementary and secondary school pupils, Fête de la science, Paris Diderot University, October 10-13.


2012

  • Histoire des sciences sans frontières (History of Science without Frontiers) – Program of 6 interdisciplinary workshops (that I coordinated) for elementary and secondary school pupils, Fête de la science, Paris Diderot University, October 10-13.

  • "Les jeux de ficelle : faire des maths autrement ? " (String figure-making : doing maths differently)– In collaboration with Ana Guevara and Céline petit, anthropologists. Workshop for primary school pupils as part of the Ateliers de mathématiques sans frontières science awerness program, Fête de la science, Paris Diderot University, October 11.

2011

  • "Histoire des sciences sous toutes ses facettes" – Program of 7 interdisciplinary workshops (that I coordinated) for elementary and secondary school pupils, Fête de la science, Paris Diderot University, October 13.

  • "Les jeux de ficelle, une activité mathématique ? " (String figure-making: a mathematical activity?)– Lecture given at the J-B Corot high-school, Savigny sur Orge (France). Audience: 6 high-school classes, math teachers and inspectors in mathematics, March 18.

2009

  • "Ateliers de mathématiques d’ici et d’ailleurs" (Workshops in mathematics from here and elsewhere) – Program of 4 interdisciplinary workshops (that I coordinated) for elementary and secondary school pupils, Fête de la science, Paris Diderot University, October 13.