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way textbooks are defined by their genre, and one offered by Hoskin states, “…two driving
principles that distinguish books as a form of textuality: normalization and expansionism.
Textbooks as a genre are driven by normalization, as they shape their message according to
normalizing constraints” (1990, p. 2). The normalising processes that take place through their
use will be explored in depth during the data analysis stages. Building on the statements of
textbooks purposes, Hamilton considers that “…textbooks visibly reflect pedagogic
considerations. That is, a textbook is not just a book used in schools. Rather, it is a book that
has been consciously designed and organised to serve…schooling” (1990, p. 1).
By and large, textbooks structure content and treat the reader (in this case, school students) as
“textual subjects” rather than “agents” (Pink, 2001, p. 5), promoting a passive, accepting
reading of the knowledge, as opposed to active engagement and critiquing of the information
presented. This then influences the style of writing and structure of textbooks as generally
passive and authoritative, and as Giroux claims a “...‘reified view of knowledge’, meaning a
form of knowledge that is beyond question, that erases the fact that it was produced by
humans operating in a particular context with a specific set of values” (as cited in Steinberg
& Kincheloe, 1998, p. 5). Regarding the tone of textbooks, Issitt writes:
In general, the particular voice of the textbooks author is subsumed within a
monotone of expositionary clarity. It is this authorial monotone that underlines the
claim to objectivity and political neutrality inherent in textbooks. In removing, or
possibly camouflaging the author’s particularities and personal agendas, the textbook
fits the genre and invites a learning engagement already ring-fenced by cultural
markers and rules. (2004, p. 688).
To what degree this is reflected in the textbooks selected for this project is analysed and
included for discussion in each of the data analysis chapters.
2.3.1 Use and importance of textbooks.
Textbooks are often viewed in a negative light, with many people perceiving them to be
difficult to comprehend, boring and presented as an uninteresting way to learn (see, for
example, Osborne’s, 2003 study of Canadian History curriculum). However, as they are used
extensively in schools, particularly in secondary teaching, they are therefore important to
consider when discussing what constitutes the official knowledge present in the school
curriculum. As John Daniel, former Assistant General Director, UNESCO writes: “...school
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