Construction of Cultural Values and Ideology in Social Studies Textbooks: A Critical Discourse Analytical Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the cultural values, beliefs and ideology constructed through Pakistan Studies textbook, published by Sindh Text Book Board, currently used for secondary education in the Government sector in Pakistan. The study aims to critically analyze how discourses are created and what ideologies are embedded in them in the form of textbooks. The paper also analyzes how texts are manipulated in the public education sector to portray certain cultural forces, beliefs and values for the young reader and how these discourses in turn position the learner to go through the way these discourses are developed. The paper states that such discourses are contrary to the young learner’s interests and serve the interests of the powerful elite.