Vol. 17 Num. 3 (1997) David Pimm Editorial2 William Higginson Freire, D'Ambrosio, oppression, empowerment and mathematics: background notes to an interview3 Ubiratan D'Ambrosio Remembering Paulo Freire6 Paulo Freire ,  Ubiratan D'Ambrosio ,  Maria do Carmo Mendonça A conversation with Paulo Freire7 Derek Woodrow Democratic education: does it exist especially for mathematics education?11 Marcelo C. Borba ,  Ole Skovsmose The ideology of certainty in mathematics education17 Dimitris Chassapis The social ideologies of school mathematics applications: a case study of elementary school textbooks24 Roberta Mura ,  Louise Maurice L'infini, un ensemble de nombres? Enquête auprès de futurs enseignants et enseignantes28 Patricio Herbst The number-line metaphor in the discourse of a textbook series36