PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ...
PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ... PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ...
Whilst this may be an extreme example (so far as its relevance to Australian context is concerned), Barnard also summarises Anyon’s (1979) seminal study that investigated textbooks of United States history, highlighting dominant ideologies present in the History curriculum, and what this revealed about the ‘hidden’ lessons being taught students. Of this, Barnard writes: Her [Anyon’s] findings reveal that textbooks contain ideologies, the presence of which is advantageous to particular groups within society. For example, she writes that the socialist movement at the turn of the century is either not mentioned, or downplayed or disparaged; and labour history is almost totally ignored, together with class conflict and social struggle, while the story of successful capitalists is used as an object lesson for workers: if you work hard and save money, you too can become rich. (2003a, pp. 18-19) An issue that has arisen in recent times and one that clearly demonstrates the contested nature of History curriculum is the furor that erupted in Israel over the use of the term Nakba which translates to catastrophe, “an Arabic term used to describe the creation of Israel as a ‘catastrophe’…” (Israel to ban 1948 ‘catastrophe references in Arab Israeli school books, 2009, para. 1). In this, a very contentious issue, the Education Minister, Gideon Saar is reported as stating “the decision to integrate this idea into teaching for Arab Israeli several years ago constitutes an error that will be corrected in the next school books currently being prepared” (Israel to ban 1948 ‘catastrophe references in Arab Israeli school books, 2009, para. 3). This sparked emotional responses to this particular construction of national identity, in particular accusations of bias (see, for example, Shulman, 2009). What this and the other studies briefly outlined in this subsection demonstrate is the widespread contestation of national identity across individual nation states; and the emotional responses that come about as a result, especially when connected with the education of each nation’s young citizens. In addition to the assertion of a mytho-history being presented to school students through representations of national history made by Barnard (2003a), other studies, such as Hearn (2005) identify and survey the history of mythmaking in history of Australia as a nation-state. Smith also refers to myth-making in constructing a national identity, writing: …generations of a particular community are formed in their collective life through the memories, myths and traditions of the community into which they are born and 60
educated…the communal past defines to a large extent our identity, which in turn helps to determine collective goals and destinies…Traditions, myths, history and symbols must all grow out of the existing, living memories and beliefs of the people who are to compose the nation. (1993, p. 16) In concluding this section, analysing representations of British heritages and Indigenous representations within school curriculum, as this project does, invariably raises questions of nationalism and how it is being constructed; an issue that needs to be contextualized to the era it was produced. As Giroux writes “as a social construction, nationalism does not rest upon a particular politics, but takes its form within rather than outside of specific, historical, social and cultural contexts” (1998, p. 180). The importance of locating an analysis of school curriculum, for example as demonstrated through textbooks, in their historical context (as this research does by identifying three distinct eras for the analysis to be situated in), is explained by Gilbert as: In constructing and interpreting images of text content, we should remember that theoretical images are abstracted from a process which draws on multiple sources of meaning produced in particular situations. Text contents themselves are the product and retain the traces of competing discourses. Readings given to texts vary with the discursive practices of different social sites…a more frequent cause for concern…has been the reliance of such research on the analysis of texts removed from their context of use. (1989, p. 68) Given the emotions associated with establishing, identifying and teaching national history and thereby creating a national identity that is often unable to be clearly articulated across a range of citizens, reflected in the school History curriculum, “history textbooks, therefore, are not likely to straightforwardly, unproblematically relate the ‘facts’ of history, just as they are” (Barnard, 2003b, p. 247). 2.8 Curriculum Approaches in Humanities Disciplines Various approaches to curriculum knowledges have been offered as ways to deconstruct the theoretical underpinnings of what is taught in schools. For example, approaches specifically related to History curriculum analysis, described by Cullip (2007) include: historical biographical narrative; historical explanatory recount; descriptive historical report; forecast report; and factual explanation. These approaches are not appropriate for the analysis 61
- Page 24 and 25: 3. What discourses of British Herit
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- Page 28 and 29: 2.1.2 Key concepts and terms. As wi
- Page 30 and 31: Giroux & Purpel, 1983; Whitty, 1985
- Page 32 and 33: that Bruner mentions are prepositio
- Page 34 and 35: kind of private property handed dow
- Page 36 and 37: The information presented thus far
- Page 38 and 39: English (AATE) used an editorial of
- Page 40 and 41: 2.3 Defining Textbooks One importan
- Page 42 and 43: textbooks are...a very important ve
- Page 44 and 45: which the learner is subject, but t
- Page 46 and 47: Although Issitt (2004) contends tha
- Page 48 and 49: intended set of learnings are infor
- Page 50 and 51: Moving to focus on those who hold r
- Page 52 and 53: parameters of the terms of the deba
- Page 54 and 55: Similarly, Woodfin asserts “in es
- Page 56 and 57: 1996, pp. 8-9). Luke further discus
- Page 58 and 59: powerful groups may also otherwise
- Page 60 and 61: 2.7.1 Theories of national identity
- Page 62 and 63: understood as part of a broader str
- Page 64 and 65: significance (either implicitly or
- Page 66 and 67: …in the established nations, ther
- Page 68 and 69: The ‘history wars’ in Australia
- Page 70 and 71: In academia, the move is away from
- Page 72 and 73: and its internal and external other
- Page 76 and 77: conducted for this project due to t
- Page 78 and 79: Table 2.2 The Two Traditions of His
- Page 80 and 81: puts emphasis on the celebration of
- Page 82 and 83: emaining the same throughout. Stude
- Page 84 and 85: As one of few (current) educators i
- Page 86 and 87: A researcher bricoleur carefully se
- Page 88 and 89: approaches. What bricolage does off
- Page 90 and 91: and modification” (Reitstaetter,
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- Page 98 and 99: A criticism made by Blommaert that
- Page 100 and 101: The lens of CDA is used to gain ins
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- Page 104 and 105: In his examination of American hist
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- Page 110 and 111: avoids the ‘Bad King John/Good Qu
- Page 112 and 113: 2005, p. 5). Due to placing visual
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educated…the communal past defines to a large extent our identity, which in turn<br />
helps to determine collective goals and destinies…Traditions, myths, history and<br />
symbols must all grow out <strong>of</strong> the existing, living memories and beliefs <strong>of</strong> the people<br />
who are to compose the nation. (1993, p. 16)<br />
In concluding this section, analysing representations <strong>of</strong> British heritages and Indigenous<br />
representations within school curriculum, as this project does, invariably raises questions <strong>of</strong><br />
nationalism and how it is being constructed; an issue that needs to be contextualized to the<br />
era it was produced. As Giroux writes “as a social construction, nationalism does not rest<br />
upon a particular politics, but takes its form within rather than outside <strong>of</strong> specific, historical,<br />
social and cultural contexts” (1998, p. 180). The importance <strong>of</strong> locating an analysis <strong>of</strong> school<br />
curriculum, for example as demonstrated through textbooks, in their historical context (as this<br />
research does by identifying three distinct eras for the analysis to be situated in), is explained<br />
by Gilbert as:<br />
In constructing and interpreting images <strong>of</strong> text content, we should remember that<br />
theoretical images are abstracted from a process which draws on multiple sources <strong>of</strong><br />
meaning produced in particular situations. Text contents themselves are the product<br />
and retain the traces <strong>of</strong> competing discourses. Readings given to texts vary with the<br />
discursive practices <strong>of</strong> different social sites…a more frequent cause for concern…has<br />
been the reliance <strong>of</strong> such research on the analysis <strong>of</strong> texts removed from their context<br />
<strong>of</strong> use. (1989, p. 68)<br />
Given the emotions associated with establishing, identifying and teaching national history<br />
and thereby creating a national identity that is <strong>of</strong>ten unable to be clearly articulated across a<br />
range <strong>of</strong> citizens, reflected in the school History curriculum, “history textbooks, therefore, are<br />
not likely to straightforwardly, unproblematically relate the ‘facts’ <strong>of</strong> history, just as they are”<br />
(Barnard, 2003b, p. 247).<br />
2.8 Curriculum Approaches in Humanities Disciplines<br />
Various approaches to curriculum knowledges have been <strong>of</strong>fered as ways to deconstruct the<br />
theoretical underpinnings <strong>of</strong> what is taught in schools. For example, approaches specifically<br />
related to History curriculum analysis, described by Cullip (2007) include: historical<br />
biographical narrative; historical explanatory recount; descriptive historical report; forecast<br />
report; and factual explanation. These approaches are not appropriate for the analysis<br />
61
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