I really enjoyed reading this chapter, especially because of the focus on Indian and Arab contributions to history of mathematics. Having completed my high school education in India, I already knew a lot about the content covered in this chapter, so I was surprised that I wasn't surprised by the European "cover up" of the rest of the world's rich history and limitless knowledge. But I am happy to find out through this reading that the non-European history of mathematics is now gaining the recognition that it deserves.
I was, however, surprised to find out that I didn't know anything at all about the contributions of Spain towards the advancement of mathematics. There wasn't much about Spain in this chapter but I hope to learn more about it in this course. Another surprising fact that I encountered in this reading was the Mayans were able to make such advancements in astronomy with no glass or optical devices at all. To get a perfect estimate of synodic period Venus without such equipment is beyond impressive.
Great reflection, Manveen! Your point about our Eurocentric math curriculum strikes a chord with me. Being ethnically Chinese, I only got to dive a lot into ancient Chinese mathematics in grad school. Like you, I was surprised, and not yet surprised. Hopefully, as more math educators are advocating for culturally relevant pedagogy, we could introduce more non-European history of mathematics to our students.
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