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Ideology and Political Discourse in Syrian Textbooks
Abstract
This paper examines the ideological discourse of current Syrian textbooks taught under the Assad regime. Through textual and visual selections, as well as analyses of the government manual for teachers, the paper examines how the regime exploits Syrian schools to indoctrinate youth and reinforce its power starting as early as first grade. The Syrian regime realized the power of school textbooks in socializing children in accordance to its ideology. It has, therefore, practiced tight control over the kinds of content that are permitted as opposed to those that are shunned and censored. Syrian textbooks reveal that children in public schools are expected to start learning about the Assad family and the Ba’ath party in conjunction with their learning to read. To accomplish this, the Syrian regime has employed several strategies in textbooks that include using ideological imagery, integrating political instruction with curricular activities in the classroom, and developing a teacher’s manual that specifically outlines the steps teachers must take to insure students learn the desired outcomes. The paper also explores the use of literary techniques to implicitly convey political agenda in official Syrian textbooks. Particularly, it analyzes the production of narratives that glorify political figures and tell a heavily ideological version of Syrian history as it is interpreted by the regime. In these fictional narratives, historical figures and political leaders become protagonists of a utopian state where every citizen is expected to abide by specific roles. The goal of the narratives in these textbooks is to insure that the legitimacy of the regime is not questioned and the responsibilities of ideal citizen are clearly outlined.
Discipline
Literature
Geographic Area
Syria
Sub Area
None