Virginia History and Social Studies Textbooks: History, Processes of Selection, Critiques and Possibilitites

Abstract

This paper explores structures of racism in the U.S through the lens of history and social studies textbooks. It is composed of three parts. First, a brief discussion of the history of educational systems and textbooks in the U.S. Second, the paper discusses the legal and economic processes that define what content becomes enshrined in textbooks aimed at primary and secondary school students in this country. Finally, the book critiques common textbook content in terms of their role in perpetuating narratives about particular racial groups and about American structures of power. The paper concludes with a call for disruption of narrow conceptions of "legitimate knowledge" perpetuated through this type of media.