Because American history and social studies textbooks are "official chronicles of the nation's past and influence the next generation's social understanding, content controversies abound. This article discusses the editorial ahistoricism, arid language, and disembodied figures characterizing most texts, reviews past successful models, and suggests…

The Second World War stands as the most devastating and destructive global conflict in human history. More than 60 nations representing 1.7 billion people or three quarters of the world's population were consumed by its horror. Not surprisingly, therefore, World War II stands as a landmark episode in history education throughout the world and its…

The treatment of ethnic minorities in Russian history survey textbooks is examined. (DE)

Includes a comment on the article by William B. Fink.

The issue of history, specifically history textbooks, has been at the center of South Africa's educational reform debates for years. One of the consequences of South Africa's delayed curricular reform is the continued use of apartheid-era history textbooks, which, among other things, deny European colonization and conquest and claim that whites…

A review of the treatment of immigrants of the United States in history textbooks reveals a need for a more balanced, comprehensive and sympathetic view of all who came to this country. (Author/KM)

Social studies textbooks of the 1930's frequently accepted the changing times and the new world leadership without criticism. Textbooks downplayed the Depression, took an uncritical approach towards Roosevelt, and showed relative neutrality toward European totalitarianism. Political, social, and cultural reasons for these attitudes are explained.…

Discusses the application of critical thinking skills to teaching about the Columbus quincentenary. Suggests having students explore multiple perspectives on the event and examine coverage in textbooks and other books. Urges teachers to assess critically their own teaching practices and whether they foster racial justice. (WYN)

The purpose of this study was to examine problems of evaluating sex bias in textbooks and to analyze the presence of sex bias in high school American history textbooks. Seven editions of "Rise of the American Nation" (Harcourt, Brace & World) were analyzed to determine if the 1982 edition indicated better sex equity than earlier…

Fourteen Japanese and 28 American social studies textbooks, grades 7-12, were exchanged and reviewed by project participants. The purpose of the research was to seek improvements in the treatment each country gives the other in their respective textbooks. Selective findings of the project are discussed. (RM)

Introduces a cooperative project undertaken by the USSR Ministry of Education and by various educational institutions in the United States to assess what youth in each country learn about the other country from geography and history textbooks. The objective was to minimize misinformation. (DB)

One source of black people's alienation from English society is the attitudes perpetrated through schools and curricula. A review of history textbooks, teachers' attitudes, teacher education, academic associations, and the government shows a history of not acknowledging the role of black people in English history. (MAK)

Designed to examine the way that different ethnic groups are presented in South African secondary school history textbooks, this study gives special attention to the extent and nature of ethnic stereotyping in texts and the endorsement of particular social and political attitudes relevant to contemporary South Africa. By using a sociological…

Secondary and college level American textbooks should include information about minority groups, particularly Mexican-Americans. Surveys history textbooks with regard to their treatment of the Mexican American minority. For journal availability, see so 506 696. (DB)

A study evaluated the portrayal of white and non-white ethnic groups in selected textbooks. Results show that writers usually describe ethnic groups in neutral terms. However, some writers, in describing ethnic group interaction with white Americans, associate the ethnic groups with more negative than positive terms. (Author/AV)