Invisibilizing Black Resistance to Slavery: An Examination of Textbooks' Visual and Content Narratives

• In Event: Visualizing Afro-Dignity: Scrutinizing Puerto Rican Elementary History Textbooks for Racial Justice

Abstract

Objectives
This presentation will examine textual and visual narratives used to discuss black resistance to the slave system in elementary social studies textbooks, pointing out eurocentric perspectives that prevail in the representations of these events in Puerto Rican history.

Theoretical Framework
Our theoretical framework is based on the premise that anti-black racism is a system of ideas and practices that are transmitted and internalized through education. Our project proposes restorative education as a solution to this. Restorative education seeks to compensate for the eurocentric omissions that have prevailed for decades in Puerto Rico’s educational system, and in the development of textbooks by proposing creative and visually attractive strategies that favor the teaching of dignified Afro-descendancy and blackness for a future of equity and justice.

Methods
The research team conducted a critical analysis of discursive and visual content in the social studies textbooks for the 4th grade. The analysis was based on four topics/themes: Africa, Slavery, the Free Black Sector and Afro-legacy. The analysis was guided by the following questions: How many pages and how many illustrations are dedicated to topics of interest for a dignified representation of Afro-descendants? What AfroDignity topics are covered in the written content and which of these topics are illustrated in the chapters of interest? and how are these themes presented and how are they illustrated?

Results and conclusions
Social studies textbooks maintain narratives that represent black resistance as trivialized and futile.There is a lack of mention of rebellions and black leaders who organized riots against slavery. There are a total of 21 illustrations of slave victimization and torture versus 4 images of resistance to the slave system. The few images that illustrate the resistance of enslaved people represent them alone and in fear. However, the representation of Indigenous (Taino) leaders and rebellions is illustrated as collective, courageous, and assertive. In addition, the few textbooks that mention racism or racial discrimination define it as an "attitude" or "bad conduct." We find links between this fragile, individual and sentimental representation of resistance to slavery and racism in textbooks and the contemporary conceptualization of racism as a personal problem of individuals who lack self esteem (not as an ideological system that has enabled racialized poverty and wealth throughout the Americas). We propose alternative narratives that can help children understand the socio-economic inequalities that communities in Puerto Rico still face due to slavery and racism.

Author

• Gabriela Ortiz Laureano, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey