How school history textbooks position a textual community through the topic of racism
- Morgan, Katalin, Henning, Elizabeth
- Authors: Morgan, Katalin , Henning, Elizabeth
- Date: 2011-11
- Subjects: Race , Racism , History textbooks
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5754 , ISSN 0018-229X , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7758
- Description: This article views chapters from history textbooks as a glimpse into a particular zeitgeist of the current South African educational milieu. The central question is how these sampled books position a textual community as mediated by the topic of race theories impacting the twentieth century in various regions. To contextualise the topic, we provide a brief overview of similar studies and present some voices in current debates about the meaning and relevance of conceptions of race and racism. We then analyse data, providing examples and illustrations. The five major emerging themes from the discourse analysis of the texts are that authors 1) write from a single perspective showing intolerance of ambiguity; 2) have an a-historical or anti-historical position towards text; 3) write from a reductionist position; 4) mimic critical thinking; and 5) position themselves as scaffolds that create opportunities for inquiry. These findings are discussed in some detail. We conclude that the books are predominantly positioned to advance citizenship education in a specific mould and that they tend to repeat the letter of the "curriculum law" of democratising and of healing the divisions of the past, but in the process defeat the spirit of such healing. We end by considering some implications for textbook writing.
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- Authors: Morgan, Katalin , Henning, Elizabeth
- Date: 2011-11
- Subjects: Race , Racism , History textbooks
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5754 , ISSN 0018-229X , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7758
- Description: This article views chapters from history textbooks as a glimpse into a particular zeitgeist of the current South African educational milieu. The central question is how these sampled books position a textual community as mediated by the topic of race theories impacting the twentieth century in various regions. To contextualise the topic, we provide a brief overview of similar studies and present some voices in current debates about the meaning and relevance of conceptions of race and racism. We then analyse data, providing examples and illustrations. The five major emerging themes from the discourse analysis of the texts are that authors 1) write from a single perspective showing intolerance of ambiguity; 2) have an a-historical or anti-historical position towards text; 3) write from a reductionist position; 4) mimic critical thinking; and 5) position themselves as scaffolds that create opportunities for inquiry. These findings are discussed in some detail. We conclude that the books are predominantly positioned to advance citizenship education in a specific mould and that they tend to repeat the letter of the "curriculum law" of democratising and of healing the divisions of the past, but in the process defeat the spirit of such healing. We end by considering some implications for textbook writing.
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Reflexive grappling with theory and methods of text analysis : race and racism represented in history textbooks
- Authors: Morgan, Katalin
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: History textbooks , Racism in textbooks
- Type: Journal
- Identifier: uj:5468 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13444
- Description: Theoretical and methodological matters pertaining to school textbook analysis are an under-researched and under-documented area of specialisation. In this article I attempt to contribute to this field by reflecting on my own experience of grappling with these issues as relevant to the study of a number of South African school history textbooks. The topic of investigation is that of race and racism. I use this as a vehicle for operationalising the theoretical and methodological issues at hand. A key issue is whether historians and other ‘scientists’ make the methods of their disciplinary discoveries explicit or not, and the implications this could have for developing historical understanding. In the second part of the article I explain the theoretical position I assume towards the object of my study. It is a hermeneutic realist stance; a stance that attempts to use the researcher’s (own) particular historically and culturally conditioned mindset in the interpretive process. In some cases this led to an interpretation of the messages communicated in the textbook as flat and sterile, reinforcing stereotypes, while in others the reader is drawn into a discourse that tends to appeal to his or her humanity rather than judgement.
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- Authors: Morgan, Katalin
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: History textbooks , Racism in textbooks
- Type: Journal
- Identifier: uj:5468 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13444
- Description: Theoretical and methodological matters pertaining to school textbook analysis are an under-researched and under-documented area of specialisation. In this article I attempt to contribute to this field by reflecting on my own experience of grappling with these issues as relevant to the study of a number of South African school history textbooks. The topic of investigation is that of race and racism. I use this as a vehicle for operationalising the theoretical and methodological issues at hand. A key issue is whether historians and other ‘scientists’ make the methods of their disciplinary discoveries explicit or not, and the implications this could have for developing historical understanding. In the second part of the article I explain the theoretical position I assume towards the object of my study. It is a hermeneutic realist stance; a stance that attempts to use the researcher’s (own) particular historically and culturally conditioned mindset in the interpretive process. In some cases this led to an interpretation of the messages communicated in the textbook as flat and sterile, reinforcing stereotypes, while in others the reader is drawn into a discourse that tends to appeal to his or her humanity rather than judgement.
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The Tourkokratia, 1453-1830 : as presented in the Greek compulsory education history schoolbooks for the period, 1979-2009
- Authors: Seitanidis, Anastasios
- Date: 2012-08-06
- Subjects: Education , History study and teaching , History textbooks , Greece history , Education (Greece) , Tourkokratia
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5405
- Description: M.A. , The present dissertation is divided into three parts. The first and second part consist of the related theoretical background; while in the third part presents the crux of research data, including classification, analysis, records, findings and proposals. Specifically: The research project begins with the introduction which contains challenges that determine the research. What, in 2007, caused the withdrawal of a new history schoolbook in Greece, especially since it had started taking positive comments from the daily press of the country and contained positive presentations and innovations? Nowadays, does the Greek school education remain emphatically national when more and more nations are becoming multicultural and national, economies are becoming increasingly internationalised and the fabric of society, both globally and in Greece, is changing, becoming enriched with diverse cultural, linguistic, national and socio-economic characteristics? This dissertation endeavours to discover all of this. The first chapter of the first part presents the purpose, scope, subjects and methodology of research. This section analyzes the historical period from the Fall of Constantinople (1453) to the establishment of the modern independent Greek state in 1830 ( called Tourkokratia). The historical content is presented as it is in textbooks of compulsory education in Greece and those of Greek education in the Diaspora and then they are identified and compared to one another. Several questions will be asked and considered. For instance, what does every history schoolbook focus on? What is comprehended of the national history in the generations of Greek children to come? What do they promote as imperative knowledge to have and what to ignore? What is the mindset on our national image? And how are the Greeks depicted in contrast with other nations, especially today? What conclusions can be drawn? What proposals can emerge about the study of History in school? This study aims, in addition to the previous analysis, to list the historical facts presented in each textbook and to make a parallel comparison. Also, analysis of new and revised history textbooks (2006-07) allows us to draw conclusions regarding the content, which is given to students in Greece and the Diaspora. A list with details of facts that differentiate the books from their predecessors, especially after the The main sources used for the study are Greek textbooks for the Primary Education, the Lower Secondary Education and the Diaspora, over the last 30 years. The methodological tool of content analysis is chosen using the paragraph as the unit of analysis in the treatment of data. This approach provides more in depth information than what is given by a simple reading of a text. Then, this latent information is extrapolated with the intention of utilizing it for research. The units of analysis and categorization enable a condensation of the text, summarizing it and giving an overview of the performances of the researcher, at the points of interest. In our study, the information utilised from school textbooks was obtained mainly from main texts, exercises, supplementary texts (sources, etc.), pictures, images and explanations of the images. The findings regarding references which promote peaceful and friendly disposition towards “others” were positive whilst the findings for references that cause aggression, xenophobia and violent emotions were negative. Neutral allusions considered petitions that carry neither positive nor negative evaluative load, or negative or positive messages. More specifically, the methodology that is applied to search the content of school textbooks followed the path below: • Finding common categories for all the material which is under investigation. After an initial approach of content of school textbooks, the categories of analysis were defined by the objectives of the investigation. In other words, the process of formation of categories is based on how the elements of the books are structured, following all the methodological conditions. • Configuration categories of analysis. • The categorization of the reports provides data that essentially refers to the portrayal of Greece that each schoolbook reflects. This includes the basic texts, exercises, tasks and images and the supplementary material. • Collection and processing of the findings. • The drawing of conclusions.
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- Authors: Seitanidis, Anastasios
- Date: 2012-08-06
- Subjects: Education , History study and teaching , History textbooks , Greece history , Education (Greece) , Tourkokratia
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5405
- Description: M.A. , The present dissertation is divided into three parts. The first and second part consist of the related theoretical background; while in the third part presents the crux of research data, including classification, analysis, records, findings and proposals. Specifically: The research project begins with the introduction which contains challenges that determine the research. What, in 2007, caused the withdrawal of a new history schoolbook in Greece, especially since it had started taking positive comments from the daily press of the country and contained positive presentations and innovations? Nowadays, does the Greek school education remain emphatically national when more and more nations are becoming multicultural and national, economies are becoming increasingly internationalised and the fabric of society, both globally and in Greece, is changing, becoming enriched with diverse cultural, linguistic, national and socio-economic characteristics? This dissertation endeavours to discover all of this. The first chapter of the first part presents the purpose, scope, subjects and methodology of research. This section analyzes the historical period from the Fall of Constantinople (1453) to the establishment of the modern independent Greek state in 1830 ( called Tourkokratia). The historical content is presented as it is in textbooks of compulsory education in Greece and those of Greek education in the Diaspora and then they are identified and compared to one another. Several questions will be asked and considered. For instance, what does every history schoolbook focus on? What is comprehended of the national history in the generations of Greek children to come? What do they promote as imperative knowledge to have and what to ignore? What is the mindset on our national image? And how are the Greeks depicted in contrast with other nations, especially today? What conclusions can be drawn? What proposals can emerge about the study of History in school? This study aims, in addition to the previous analysis, to list the historical facts presented in each textbook and to make a parallel comparison. Also, analysis of new and revised history textbooks (2006-07) allows us to draw conclusions regarding the content, which is given to students in Greece and the Diaspora. A list with details of facts that differentiate the books from their predecessors, especially after the The main sources used for the study are Greek textbooks for the Primary Education, the Lower Secondary Education and the Diaspora, over the last 30 years. The methodological tool of content analysis is chosen using the paragraph as the unit of analysis in the treatment of data. This approach provides more in depth information than what is given by a simple reading of a text. Then, this latent information is extrapolated with the intention of utilizing it for research. The units of analysis and categorization enable a condensation of the text, summarizing it and giving an overview of the performances of the researcher, at the points of interest. In our study, the information utilised from school textbooks was obtained mainly from main texts, exercises, supplementary texts (sources, etc.), pictures, images and explanations of the images. The findings regarding references which promote peaceful and friendly disposition towards “others” were positive whilst the findings for references that cause aggression, xenophobia and violent emotions were negative. Neutral allusions considered petitions that carry neither positive nor negative evaluative load, or negative or positive messages. More specifically, the methodology that is applied to search the content of school textbooks followed the path below: • Finding common categories for all the material which is under investigation. After an initial approach of content of school textbooks, the categories of analysis were defined by the objectives of the investigation. In other words, the process of formation of categories is based on how the elements of the books are structured, following all the methodological conditions. • Configuration categories of analysis. • The categorization of the reports provides data that essentially refers to the portrayal of Greece that each schoolbook reflects. This includes the basic texts, exercises, tasks and images and the supplementary material. • Collection and processing of the findings. • The drawing of conclusions.
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Textbooks as mediators in the intellectual project of history education
- Authors: Morgan, Katalin Eszter
- Date: 2012-09-12
- Subjects: History textbooks , History teachers , History - Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:10291 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7659
- Description: D.Phil. , History education is part of the intellectual project of high school education and its textbooks matter in terms of their educational brief. History textbooks have a significant role to play, especially in South African classrooms where many teachers have no access to any other media or subject knowledge. Moreover, textbooks represent a sample of a body of knowledge, which can be understood to pass on a sociocultural inheritance, encoded in language and images, as they record the education system's epistemological position in a 'slice in time' with the prevailing mindset in it. This mindset is partly captured in the curriculum, which can be interpreted to affirm that controlling the present and shaping the future rely to some extent on controlling the manner in which the past is presented. The study aims to find out how texts construct or encode this mindset, and how the strategy of their constructors can be recognised or decoded. This aim is realised through exploring a particular topic, namely that of theories of race and racism and their impact, in a set of 10 officially approved grade 11 history textbooks and their teacher guides. To fit the aim of this study, sociocultural theory was deemed as appropriate for the overall lens informing the methods of text analysis and the discussion of the findings. From such a theoretical perspective, instruction and accompanying semiotic tools are considered to be a major avenue for mediating students' /pupils' motives, cognition, and their social development, and hence textbooks, as instructional media, can be regarded as important mediating tools. To investigate this dynamic I pose two research questions: Firstly, how can an interdisciplinary approach to textual analysis be utilised to construct a model for textbook analysis? This question arises from a lack of theoretical, epistemological and ontological considerations of textbook research and addresses a gap in the literature. The second question is, how can such a model be demonstrated 'in action' to analyse one theme in a series of 10 grade 11 history textbooks? Given the historical theme of the impact of 19th century race theories leading to genocide, this research has a humanistic interest in the subject matter and this, in turn, defined the bounded case of this inquiry. The methods are my own hybrid of hermeneutic analysis, discourse analysis, visual analysis, question (pedagogic) analysis, critical analysis, and semiotic analysis. These are all interpretive methods, which are suitable for an inquiry into meaning-making. To realise the aim of constructing an interdisciplinary model for text analysis, I devised five categories or dimensions, namely "making own historical knowledge", "learning empathy", "positioning a textual community", "fashioning stories", and "orientating the reader". These five dimensions are explained in detail, both their deduction from theory and their induction into the research process. These dimensions, once stabilised, had become heuristic devices that guided not only the way I looked for 'answers' to the research questions, but also the overall structure of the thesis.
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- Authors: Morgan, Katalin Eszter
- Date: 2012-09-12
- Subjects: History textbooks , History teachers , History - Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:10291 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7659
- Description: D.Phil. , History education is part of the intellectual project of high school education and its textbooks matter in terms of their educational brief. History textbooks have a significant role to play, especially in South African classrooms where many teachers have no access to any other media or subject knowledge. Moreover, textbooks represent a sample of a body of knowledge, which can be understood to pass on a sociocultural inheritance, encoded in language and images, as they record the education system's epistemological position in a 'slice in time' with the prevailing mindset in it. This mindset is partly captured in the curriculum, which can be interpreted to affirm that controlling the present and shaping the future rely to some extent on controlling the manner in which the past is presented. The study aims to find out how texts construct or encode this mindset, and how the strategy of their constructors can be recognised or decoded. This aim is realised through exploring a particular topic, namely that of theories of race and racism and their impact, in a set of 10 officially approved grade 11 history textbooks and their teacher guides. To fit the aim of this study, sociocultural theory was deemed as appropriate for the overall lens informing the methods of text analysis and the discussion of the findings. From such a theoretical perspective, instruction and accompanying semiotic tools are considered to be a major avenue for mediating students' /pupils' motives, cognition, and their social development, and hence textbooks, as instructional media, can be regarded as important mediating tools. To investigate this dynamic I pose two research questions: Firstly, how can an interdisciplinary approach to textual analysis be utilised to construct a model for textbook analysis? This question arises from a lack of theoretical, epistemological and ontological considerations of textbook research and addresses a gap in the literature. The second question is, how can such a model be demonstrated 'in action' to analyse one theme in a series of 10 grade 11 history textbooks? Given the historical theme of the impact of 19th century race theories leading to genocide, this research has a humanistic interest in the subject matter and this, in turn, defined the bounded case of this inquiry. The methods are my own hybrid of hermeneutic analysis, discourse analysis, visual analysis, question (pedagogic) analysis, critical analysis, and semiotic analysis. These are all interpretive methods, which are suitable for an inquiry into meaning-making. To realise the aim of constructing an interdisciplinary model for text analysis, I devised five categories or dimensions, namely "making own historical knowledge", "learning empathy", "positioning a textual community", "fashioning stories", and "orientating the reader". These five dimensions are explained in detail, both their deduction from theory and their induction into the research process. These dimensions, once stabilised, had become heuristic devices that guided not only the way I looked for 'answers' to the research questions, but also the overall structure of the thesis.
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