ERIC Number: EJ1149357
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2327-3585
EISSN: N/A
A Postcolonial Discourse Analysis of Finnish School Textbooks: Learning about the World from a Tourist Perspective
Mikander, Pia; Zilliacus, Harriet
Journal of International Social Studies, v6 n2 p96-108 2016
In this article, we ask how Finnish basic education school textbooks in social science portray tourism and countries with a big tourism sector. We have analyzed the textbook quotes from a postcolonial perspective, using discourse theory analysis. The idea is to challenge what is considered objective information about tourist locations in school textbooks. The results show that even if some ethical questions are at times debated openly, particularly environmental problems at tourist sites, tourism is considered as something predominantly positive. The textbook reader is assumed to be a potential tourist. Some textbook quotes resemble tourist brochures, while people living in tourist locations are given marginal importance. A key argument is that the unequal global power relations between tourists and those living in tourist locations are not challenged. Considering tourism from a postcolonial point of view brings a vital perspective to social science education. There is a need to challenge the positions that are appointed to textbook readers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Discourse Analysis, Textbook Evaluation, Social Sciences, Tourism, Textbook Content, Social Change, Ethics, Geographic Location, Elementary School Curriculum, Global Education, Educational Practices, Educational Objectives
International Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies. 8555 16th Street Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Tel: 765-496-3029; Fax: 765-496-2210; Web site: http://www.iajiss.org/index.php/iajiss/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A