ON THE METHODOLOGY OF ANALYSING HISTORICAL TEXTBOOKS: Lacroix as Textbook Author

Abstract

This paper discusses the methodology for analysing historical mathematics textbooks. It is shown that the task of analysing mathematics textbooks of other epochs, and even of other cultures, constitutes challenging tasks, which have hitherto been largely ignored. The paper elaborates a broad programme for such analyses, developing it by using the textbook production by a prolific and highly successful French author as the case for showing how to work with this methodological programme. This author is Sylvestre-François Lacroix (1765-1843). Given that no text speaks by itself, the principal new elements introduced here for textbook analysis are categories for a socio-cultural contextualisation of textbook production. For structuring the work of analysing, a three-dimensional grid is proposed for realising such a contextualising. To avoid a schematic application, a number of concretising questions has been added, exploring the text and its context in the respective historical period. The grid and the questions are studied in this case for France, in the revealing period of establishing a public education system, and comparing and contrasting with Germany, and in particular with Prussia.

Keywords

• Textbooks
• Lacroix
• France
• Contextualisation