This fascinating study of mathematical thinking among sub-Saharan African peoples covers counting in words and in gestures; measuring time, distance, weight, and other quantities; manipulating money and keeping accounts; number systems; patterns in music, poetry, art, and architecture; and number magic and taboos. African games such as mankala and elaborate versions of tic-tac-toe show how complex this thinking can be. An invaluable resource for students, teachers, and others interested in African cultures and multiculturalism, this third edition is updated with an introduction covering two decades of new research in the ethnomathematics of Africa.

“Anyone who reads this fine book will never again view the African peoples in quite the same light.” —The New Yorker

Claudia Zaslavsky is a mathematics teacher and the author of Multicultural Mathematics, The Multicultural Math Classroom, Math Games and Activities from Around the World, and other books. She lives in New York City.