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2.7 Constructions of National Identity through School Curriculum
Given the focus of this project on the analysis of British heritages and Indigenous
representations within textbooks, it is relevant to explore the literature on national identity
within school discourses. The aim of this section therefore is to first, provide an overview of
theories of national identity; and second to identify examples of research that looks at
constructions of nationhood and national identity in school History curriculum. Doing so
enables this project to be situated within the body of literature that seeks to analyse History
curriculum in schools. This will be addressed by reviewing theories of national identity;
constructions of the ‘nation’ within national history, linking national identity with collective
and cultural identities, and citizenship—particularly as relevant to curriculum content, and
the relevance of the nation in postindustrial societies; and focused textbook studies of
national history and identity in school curriculum. This section develops from the review of
history curriculum studies connected with the history/culture wars in Australian and
transnational contexts described in Appendix A: Contexts. Here, there is a greater theoretical
focus, and where linked to studies of school curriculum, literature has been selected for its
connection to national history and related topics, rather than for its relevance to specific and
contemporary political debates.
National identity and the nation-state are explicitly covered in this section due to national
history being the focus of how the two exemplar topics, British heritages and Indigenous
representations are constructed in textbooks. Therefore, it becomes important to provide an
overview of how this concept is being used throughout this project. As a note of explanation,
given the historical binary of the two exemplar topics, British heritages and Indigenous
representations, a study could potentially encompass discourses of racism in school
textbooks. However, this is not the approach taken here. Instead, the focus remains on
identifying discourses of how Australia’s national history is represented to school students
through these exemplars, constructed as case studies across multiple historical eras. To look
at evidence of racism in school curriculum across the three time periods that encompass the
analysis of this project, there would be an obvious need to include additional exemplars, for
example, the experiences of migrants, Pacific Islander labourers of the 19 th century, use of the
White Australia Policy, issues of assimilation, and the emergence of multiculturalism as
official government policy.
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