Deconstructing Unequal Representation of Minority Experiences in A Textbook of American History

• In Event: 35.082 - Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.082-17 - Words, Images, and Historical Spaces

Abstract

Using Foucault’s theory of power and Apple’s concepts of hegemony and the hidden curriculum, this paper conducts a textual analysis on the construction of Chinese railroad workers in an American history textbook to explore the relationship between power, ideology, and knowledge embedded in textbook text and social studies curriculum. Analysis shows that content in the history textbook is a selection of dominant experiences and values over the experiences and history of underrepresented minority groups, such as, Chinese Americans. The positioning of Chinese railroad workers as voluntary and marginalized participants of American history normalizes the racialized experiences of early Chinese immigrants into mere fact and reality, minimizes their contribution to American economy, and renders White oppression over minority groups almost invisible.

Author

• Nan Zhang, University of Rochester