Ismar Volić is a mathematics professor and chair of the mathematics department at Wellesley, housed in the Chao Foundation Math Wing of the new Science Complex. He specializes in algebraic topology, specifically calculus of functors and its applications. Volić is also the co-founder and director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy, where he connects mathematical theory with the political system. His book Making Democracy Count: How Mathematics Improves Voting, Electoral Maps, and Representation, released last spring, is generating thoughtful discussion on the role of math in shaping democratic processes. He spoke with The Lamppost about how he is advancing our understanding of mathematics and its impact on democracy.
As a teacher, how do you present mathematics as an exciting major and research field?
It is crucial to place mathematics into real-world context, to bring relevant challenges and issues into the classroom and show how mathematics plays a role in explaining and solving them. The world runs on a math engine, and technology is advancing at an incredible clip. More and more data surrounds us, and artificial intelligence, crypto, and quantum computing will soon be influencing all aspects of our lives. New statistical and data science methods are finding a home in social sciences and humanities. Mathematics is at the foundation of all this exciting interdisciplinary work. We have to showcase mathematics as a vibrant, living, relevant discipline. If we can do that, students will line up to take our classes and do research with us.
You teach MATH 123: Mathematics and Politics, one of the most popular classes at Wellesley. Why is math so important in today’s political environment?
Much of the engine of our democracy is powered by algorithms and processes that are mathematical. We study basic democratic processes like voting, apportionment of legislative seats, districting, the Electoral College, and distribution of power through a mathematical lens. Understanding this allows us to ask whether these practices are the best possible. Furthermore, math can suggest alternative practices that would represent the needs and desires of the people better.
Math is objective and detached from politics. It gets us away from partisanship, divisions, and emotionally charged discourse. Math is universal and does not care about parties or politics. This is exactly what we need at the moment—a way to fix our democracy that’s based on logic, reason, and rigorous thinking.
How do you keep politics out of your research?
Politics is out of my research simply because my research is about math. Because math exists in its own formal system of rules, it is at its foundation removed from politics. At some point, the implementation of any changes or reforms suggested by mathematics will have to be conducted by people, including politicians. All our views, opinions, and emotions will come into play, but my job is to try to convince everyone that they should listen to and be guided by math as much as possible.
What inspired you to write Making Democracy Count?
In the early days of 2022, I came to realize that I had accumulated a substantial amount of knowledge and expertise on the intersection of math and democracy, and that my perspective on it was unique due to my work with the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy and my own life experience. So I decided to write it down.
The book has received more attention than I could have ever imagined. It strikes a chord with anyone who cares about the future of democracy because it provides a universal, objective assessment of our politics and how we can fix it through a mathematical lens. The recommendations I ultimately give are sensible, apolitical, and nonpartisan precisely because they are rooted in the quantitative.
In April, Wellesley launched the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy. Why is it important for our students to engage in conversations about democracy?
Our ability to engage in constructive conversations about our differences is so diminished that we have become paralyzed as we trap ourselves in our own ideological bubbles. Any initiative that tries to break us out of this deadlock is of paramount importance, and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center has the potential to become the standard bearer in this regard.
I am excited to be leading the inaugural Faculty Research Initiative for the center in 2024–25. The goal of the program is to gather faculty from various departments who are united by our work in the democracy arena and try to come up with various ways to amplify our voices and boost our impact.
What did you do over the summer?
I had a fun summer that was the perfect combination of work and play. I organized conferences in Scotland and Bosnia in June, and I went back to Bosnia, where I grew up, with my family. I ran a virtual summer research program for high school students and also worked on a research project with two Wellesley students. I have some books by exciting new Bosnian writers, so I’ve been trying to make a dent in that pile. And of course, like everyone else on the planet, my wife and I have been trying to catch up on The Bear.