Analyzing textbooks for elementary English education: An anti-oppressive perspective for intercultural understanding

This paper responds to the needs of teachers in Japan who are required to incorporate intercultural understanding in their foreign language classes. While the focus on learning about diversity with respect is crucial for intercultural understanding, the focus on learning about the ‘other’ reproduces a false binary of ‘us’ versus ‘them’, where it is assumed that the ‘other’ is significantly different from ‘us’ and can be simplified and understood through textbooks and content dissemination. Alternatively, I offer an anti-oppressive approach to analyzing textbooks for intercultural understanding by first explaining a framework and then by showing teachers how to analyze the textbook through various themes (i.e., gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, etc.). This paper will explain the importance of uncovering inclusion and exclusion of dominant and minoritized identities in elementary textbooks and materials, to prevent the reproduction of stereotypes and prejudices.