Bilden av Östasien
Hur östasien framställs i gymnasiets läroböcker i historia
Textbooks are a very influential medium considering the fact that they often introduce students to information they have never read or heard about before, and as such they become very important in forming students? opinions on different matters. In this study I have taken a closer look at five textbooks in history that are currently being used in the Swedish upper secondary school. My aim has been to find out how East Asia is pictured and also how much space East Asian history is given in these textbooks with the postcolonial theory as theoretical basis. My study shows that East Asia is given very little space compared to Europe in these books, with an average of less than a twentieth of the number of pages that deal with European history. However, compared to other non-European and non-western parts of the world East Asia is given relatively much space. Concerning the picture of East Asia I have found two different discourses that are dominating the scene. One discourse is characterized by a postcolonial and stereotypical perspective on East Asia, where the countries are described as passive and inferior to the Western world. The other discourse, however, shows a more nuanced perspective on East Asia. I have also found a number of problematic factual inaccuracies in the chapters on East Asia in these books. Conclusively my study shows the importance of a critical perspective on textbooks when using them in education.Keywords: Östasien, Kina, Japan, historiedidaktik, historieläroböcker, omvärldsbilder, postkolonial teori, orientalism, diskursanalys.