Narratives of Immigration and National Identity: Findings from a Discourse Analysis of German and U.S. Social Studies Textbooks

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Michael Kotowski
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-43
Author(s):  
Danijela Vasilijević ◽  
Marina Semiz ◽  
Žana Bojović

The paper presents the results of a research conducted with the aim of determining the contribution of Science and Social Studies textbooks in the formation and strengthening of the national identity of younger students in primary school. The theoretical part of the paper provides an overview of different conceptualizations of the concept of national identity, as well as an overview of the research on the role of program frameworks and educational content in the development of the national identity of children and young generation. In accordance with different conceptualizations, national identity has been operationalized in 11 categories: religion, customs and traditions, national feelings, language, symbols and insignia, solidarity and togetherness, cultural heritage, important personalities, geographical concepts, family, and general information. The method of theoretical analysis and the method of content analysis were applied in the research. The units of analysis are the sentences of the basic text of the textbook. The research included the Science and Social Studies textbooks in the lower grades of primary school (N = 12). The results of the research indicate that textbooks insufficiently contribute to the formation and strengthening of the national identity of the younger school-age students, in terms of all considered categories of national identity. The conducted analysis implies that it is possible and desirable to strengthen the contents of national significance and, to a greater or lesser extent, incorporate them in all thematic units, which would significantly increase the overall share of the contents on national identity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrunnisa Ahmad Ali ◽  
Nashwa Salem ◽  
Béchir Oueslati ◽  
Marie Andrew ◽  
Lisa Quirke

Representations of Islam in Ontario's social studies textbooks portray a dehistoricized view of a religion that is disconnected from other monotheistic religions. The varied and complex socio-political and ideological locations of Muslims in historical and current contexts are reduced to simplistic, often negative depictions, either as irrational aggressors or victims of poverty and underdevelopment. More nuanced, historically grounded, and multifaceted representations are called for, in order to promote a more inclusive society in Ontario.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-103
Author(s):  
Simone Mwangi

AbstractEconomic and political crisis situations are interpreted differently in different societies and cultures. What is perceived as a major threat in one society can be experienced as an everyday occurrence in other societies. This shows that crises are not issues that exist independently of people, but that they are to a large extent the result of social interpretations. An example of how a community interprets events as a surmountable challenge, rather than a crisis, is Argentina’s public discourse on the 2014 default. Instead of a discourse that concentrates on economic, political and social problems, the event provoked a political discourse on national identity. The present paper uses the methods of descriptive discourse analysis to study this solution-driven way of handling crisis events. The investigation focuses on the cultural knowledge and discourse traditions used in Argentina to interpret the country’s situation in the summer of 2014. The study analyzes how these cultural and linguistic resources contribute to coping with the situation of default while strengthening national identity.


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