Hilja Lisa Huru

Hilja Lisa Huru is a Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her research focuses on culturally responsive mathematics education, particularly examining how Kven language and culture can be integrated into mathematics teaching and learning. She actively contributes to the academic community through numerous publications and participation in research collaborations addressing diversity in mathematics education.

• Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• Member of Cultural Diversity in Mathematics Education (CuDiME) research group
• Member of the research network for Kven topics (Faglig nettverk for forskning og kunnskapsutvikling om kvenske tema)
• Member of Geometry and Mathematical Physics research group

Huru's research primarily centers on culturally responsive mathematics education, with special attention to Kven language and culture integration in mathematics classrooms. Her work explores mathematical abstraction in relation to cultural identity and place-based learning, examining how traditional knowledge systems can inform mathematics pedagogy. She investigates multilingual mathematics classrooms and develops frameworks for culturally based mathematics tasks that draw from Kven traditional artifacts and knowledge. Her research examines narrative storylines in media about mathematics education and minoritized students, highlighting how these narratives shape educational practices and policies.

Analysis of Huru's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of mathematics education and cultural diversity, particularly regarding minoritized students from Kven backgrounds. Her work demonstrates how mathematical concepts can be connected to students' cultural contexts through land-based pedagogies and traditional knowledge systems. She develops strength-based assessment approaches that recognize students' cultural assets rather than focusing on deficits. Her research shows how mathematical abstraction can create detachment from cultural and environmental contexts, and how reconnecting mathematics to place and culture can enhance learning for minoritized students.

Huru collaborates extensively with researchers across Norway, Canada, and the United States through the MIM (Mathematics education responsive to diversity) research collaboration. Her classroom-based research in northern Norway, particularly in Lakselv, demonstrates practical applications of her theoretical work, showing how Kven immersion in mathematics education can support both language revitalization and mathematical learning. She has developed specific teaching resources and frameworks that connect traditional Kven knowledge with mathematical concepts, creating innovative pathways for culturally responsive mathematics instruction.