Skolbokspropaganda? En ideologianalys av läroböcker i svenska som andraspråk (1995-2005)

This thesis deals with textbooks for the school subject Swedish as a Second Language published during the period of 1995-2005. The target group for the textbooks in Swedish as a Second Language in this study is young people or adults who have immigrated to Sweden. Immigrants and people of foreign origin who live in Sweden are in general structurally subordinated as regards to socioeconomic factors, which connects to the socio-economical segregation problem. Using this as a point of departure the ideology production in the textbooks is studied, mainly from the representations of gender, ethnicity and class.

The thesis takes its theoretical departure in the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci s (1891-1937) concept of hegemony which is based on a mutual understanding between the dominating social classes and the dominated social classes within society. The hegemony is not static but open for negotiation and it is constantly reshaped and renewed. The point of departure is that the teaching materials on the free market are considered to be an arena for ideological struggle, where counter-hegemonic activities occur. The questions posed in the thesis concern which ideologies are produced in the textbooks and the relation between the ideology production and the target group of the teaching materials.

The results from the ideology analysis show that the ideology produced in the textbooks varies. The most coherent ideology appears in textbooks which politically connect to the far left and to the Social Democratic party. It is also in these textbooks that the assimilation tendency is the strongest, pertaining to Swedish gender equity and child rearing. One of the textbooks has counter hegemonic content which connects to the anti-globalization movement.
In the analysis of the ideological content of the textbooks in relation to the target group it is shown that the expectations are low for them. This is expressed through content relating to the target group concern salary earners and public sector. Focus on entrepreneurship and enterprising is rare and concern famous Swedish companies and trademarks and does not relate to the target group and their provision in Sweden. Thereby the target group is subordinated on the Swedish labour market. The representation also implies in several respects the target group as ignorant. The image of the Swedish homogenous society rests on certain rather hegemonic perception; that is the secular, scientific and rationally built modern society. This representation entails that the multiculturalism that has existed historically and in contemporary society is not acknowledged.