RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Power Implicit in Discourses of Mathematical Rigor Within an Equity-Oriented Improvement Community
Page: 144
“Rigor” is often used as a benchmark to determine whether mathematical work is sufficiently high-quality, and, thus, has significant bearing on students’ course success and continuation in STEM majors. However, judgements about what constitute rigor are deeply subjective and may function as a vehicle for social bias. To interrogate possible connections between disciplinary standards and exclusionary gatekeeping, we analyze references to rigor by members of an “elite” mathematics department’s equity-oriented change community. Our findings exhibit how participants’ perceptions of rigor unveil a culture of power operating in undergraduate mathematics. We conclude with implications for research and practice.