1887
image of The singular “national citizen” in English language textbooks in Pakistan
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Textbooks have been widely studied as ideological apparatuses that shape and are shaped by social orders. In the present paper we consider the specific nature of this process in Pakistan, in regard to English Language textbooks produced as part of the National Curriculum (SNC) beginning in 2020 under the slogan "one nation, one curriculum" to end the educational disparity in the country. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis, we analyze a sample of textbooks produced by the Punjab textbook board (PTB) to be used in government-run schools across the Punjab province. In this paper we focus on how the textbooks foreground a singular view of Islamic based national identity, backgrounding religious, ethnic and socio-economic diversity. This nationalism is infused with militarism.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jlp.26039.sha
2026-05-26
2026-06-07
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Afzal, Tahir, Chishti, M Ilyas, Jadoon, Atta-ur Rahman., and Mushtaq, Hammad
    2021 “A comparative analysis of ideological constructions embedded in English textbooks: A critical discourse perspective.” Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, (): –. 10.18510/hssr.2021.9247
    https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2021.9247 [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahmad, Sarah
    2012On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life. Durham. Duke University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Anand, Kusha., and Lall, Marie
    2022 “The debate between secularism and Hindu nationalism–how India’s textbooks have become the government’s medium for political communication.” India Review, (): –. 10.1080/14736489.2021.2018203
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14736489.2021.2018203 [Google Scholar]
  4. Ayres, Alyssa
    2009Speaking like a state: Language and nationalism in Pakistan. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511596629
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511596629 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bori, Pau
    2018Language textbooks in the era of neoliberalism. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315405544
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315405544 [Google Scholar]
  6. Canale, German, and Furtado, Victoria
    2021 “Gender in EFL education: Negotiating textbook discourse in the classroom.” Changing English, (): –. 10.1080/1358684X.2020.1812377
    https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2020.1812377 [Google Scholar]
  7. Census
  8. Dunne, Máiréad, Naureen, Durrani, Kathleen, Fincham, and Barbara, Crossouard
    2020 “Pluralising Islam: Doing Muslim Identities Differently.” Social Identities (): –. 10.1080/13504630.2020.1765763
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2020.1765763 [Google Scholar]
  9. Durrani, Naureen
    2008 “Schooling the ‘other’: The representation of gender and national identities in Pakistani curriculum texts.” Compare(), –.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Fairclough, Norman
    2000 “Discourse, social theory, and social research: The discourse of welfare reform.” Journal of sociolinguistics(): –. 10.1111/1467‑9481.00110
    https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9481.00110 [Google Scholar]
  11. Foucault, Michel
    1975Discipline & punish: The birth of the prison. Vintage.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Gardner-McTaggart, Alex
    2021 “It is time for a renewal of teacher’s autonomy.” Education Journal Review().
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Hoodbhoy, Parvez
    2023Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future. London & New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9781003379140
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003379140 [Google Scholar]
  14. Jan, Najeeb A.
    2019The metacolonial state: Pakistan, critical ontology, and the biopolitical horizons of political Islam. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. 10.1002/9781118979419
    https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118979419 [Google Scholar]
  15. Kress, Gunther R., and Van Leeuwen, Theo
    2006Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203619728
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203619728 [Google Scholar]
  16. Lashari, Asad, Shah, Waqar A., and Memon, Talha
    2023 “‘Are we equal citizens?’: a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of language textbooks and minority faith learners’ insights in Pakistan.” Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Early view:–. 10.1080/02188791.2023.2270176
    https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2023.2270176 [Google Scholar]
  17. Ledin, Per, and Machin David
    2020Introduction to Multimodal Analysis. Bloomsbury Academic. 10.5040/9781350069176
    https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350069176 [Google Scholar]
  18. Lee, Jackie FK & Xinghong Li
    2020 “Cultural representation in English language textbooks: A comparison of textbooks used in mainland China and Hong Kong.” Pedagogy, Culture & Society(), –.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Lutz, Catherine A. and Collins, Jane L.
    1993Reading National Geographic, Chicago, Chicago University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Machin, David, and Mayr Andrea
    2023How to Do Critical Discourse Analysis: A Multimodal Introduction. 2nd edn.SAGE. 10.4135/9781036212933
    https://doi.org/10.4135/9781036212933 [Google Scholar]
  21. Machin, David, Zhang, Lili, and Smith, Christopher A.
    2027, in this special issue. “Introduction.” Journal of Language and Politics.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Nadeem, Faryal A.
    2021 “A recipe for disaster: How Single National Curriculum will divide the country further along class lines.” October 11.Loksujag. https://loksujag.com/story/single-national-curriculum-objections-eng
  23. Naseem, Muhammad Ayaz, and Georg Stöber
    2014 “Textbooks, identity politics, and lines of conflict in South Asia.” Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society(), –.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Nayyar, A Hameed
    2020 “Dissecting the Single National Curriculum.” Dawn. Retrieved. July 31. https://www.dawn.com/news/1572130
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Nizamani, Asma, and Shah, Waqar A.
    2022 “Textbooks as ‘Neoliberal artifacts’: a critical study of knowledge-making in ELT industry.” Critical Discourse Studies(): –. 10.1080/17405904.2022.2160364
    https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2022.2160364 [Google Scholar]
  26. Paracha, Nadeem Farooq
    2023 “A problematic idea: The curious history of the ‘Pakistan Ideology.’” The Friday Times, May 8. https://thefridaytimes.com/08-May-2023/a-problematic-idea-the-curious-history-of-the-pakistan-ideology
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Qazi, M Habib
    2021 “Construction of students’ religious national identities in Pakistani state schools and its implications for minorities.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education():–. 10.1080/03057925.2021.1886053
    https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2021.1886053 [Google Scholar]
  28. Rahman, Tariq
    2011 “Images of the ‘Other’ in school textbooks and Islamic reading Material in Pakistan.” World Yearbook of Educationedited byLyn, Y. and Madeleine, G.:–. London & New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Risager, Karen
    2018Representations of the world in language textbooks (Vol. ). Multilingual Matters.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Shah, Waqar Ali
    2023 “Nation, alterity and competing discourses: Rethinking textbooks as ideological apparatuses.” Linguistics and Education: . 10.1016/j.linged.2023.101250
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2023.101250 [Google Scholar]
  31. Shah, Waqar Ali, Channa, Liaquat Ali & Lashari, Asadullah
    2026 “Decolonizing English Language Textbooks: Engaging in a South-North inter-epistemic dialogue”. Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Syed, Hassan
    2024 “Unravelling the deficit ideologies in English language education in Pakistan: A decolonial perspective.” TESOL Journal, (), . 10.1002/tesj.828
    https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.828 [Google Scholar]
  33. Taqdeesa, N Dr. Sidra Kiranb, Dr. Fareena Nazimc
    2024 “Effectiveness of Single National Curriculum (SNC) on the Learning Outcomes of Students: Group Comparison of the Average Scores of SNC and Non-SNC Students.” International Journal of Social Science Archives, ():–
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Van Dijk, Teun A.
    1998Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Sage.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Van, Leeuwen Theo
    2008Discourse and practice: New tools for critical discourse analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Zhang, Lili, and Machin, David
    2027, in this special issue. “The representation of English Language learners in EFL textbooks in China: the erasure of crushing pressure and obligation experienced by learners in the school system.” Journal of Language and Politics.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Zhang, Lili, and Smith, Christopher A.
    2024 “Neoliberal, trouble-free worlds for an aspirational middle-class in Chinese EFL publications: A multimodal critical discourse analysis.” Discourse & Communication, (), –. 10.1177/17504813241237377
    https://doi.org/10.1177/17504813241237377 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/jlp.26039.sha
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/jlp.26039.sha
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: Pakistan ; nationalism ; EFL textbooks ; multimodality ; critical discourse analysis
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error