The Discursive Construction of “Normal”: A Critical Examination of ABeka Curricula

Abstract

This study is a critical examination of dominant beliefs in textbooks that impact students through constructed transmissions of the so-called normal American identity. A Beka textbooks are examined for findings that illustrate the dissemination of neutral language that is, in reality, charged with dominant ideologies that marginalize those living outside the parameters of the texts. The underlying themes point to the legitimization of the interests of the fundamentalist group as the authority of socio-cultural values and the consensual subordination of other groups. Informed by Freirean philosophy and praxis, the study is framed through a critical lens through which the underlying relationship between power and discourse is examined. As a means of bringing awareness of the inequity in textbooks, the use of dialogue and critique is discussed as a tool for interrupting the power of the dominant and as a trajectory for self-reflection and empowerment.