This research theme encompasses projects, research, and expertise that highlight examples of divisive stereotypes in textbooks from around the world, written in any language, and which have been used in the past or are being used today. Textbooks may be from primary or secondary school studies and cover the subjects of history, geography, social studies, and religion, as these subjects are critical in shaping young people’s conceptions of themselves and others. Work in this area might compare advanced placement or honors-tracked coursebooks with general education track coursebooks; or the textbooks used by private versus public education systems.
This theme also includes projects, research, and expertise which take an in depth look at how educational systems, curricula, and educational tools function to include as well as exclude certain groups of people from society and, ultimately, lead to their harm. Are certain school subjects or certain educational tools more effective than others in reducing divisive stereotypes? Conversely, are there certain subjects or tools which carry a greater risk of communicating divisive stereotypes? How do textbooks, over and above other educational tools, function in furthering or reducing marginalization?
Is your work related to this theme? Or, are you a teacher or educational practitioner who may have been confronted with divisive stereotypes in educatioal content? If you are interested in contributing your research, experiences, and/or expertise to our Info Hive, or want to collaborate on a project related to this research theme, please get in contact!