Celebrating culture and neglecting language: representation of ethnic minorities in Chinese primary school textbooks (1976–2021)

Abstract

This study draws on data collected from Chinese language textbooks to investigate the ways in which ethnic minority cultures and languages are represented in primary school textbooks in China. Drawing on the methods of thematic and comparative analysis, we specifically analyse how the representation of ethnic minorities in Chinese textbooks has changed across different periods in history. The analysis reveals that the representation of ethnic minority cultures and languages is largely limited to the contributions approach and additive approach to multicultural curriculum development. The findings show a largely selective, traditional, and stereotypical representation of ethnic minority cultures and languages in school textbooks, which focus primarily on cultures from representative ethnic groups. Although an accurate and equitable representation of ethnic minorities is still mostly lacking in Chinese language textbooks, a multicultural approach to ethnic diversity has been gaining ground over the past four decades. Interestingly, increasing interest in a multicultural approach has been accompanied by decreasing tolerance towards ethnic multilingualism in textbooks over the past four decades. Such observable trends towards monolingualism and multiculturalism in the representation of ethnic and linguistic diversity in textbooks echo the continuous changes in national education policy.

Thinking beyond deficits in Southwest China: Perspectives of ethnic minority teachers on academic achievement disparities among students

“…These core subject matters are taught using unified textbooks produced by the central government (Xu, 2021). Our earlier study (Liu et al, 2022) suggests that nationally produced school textbooks remain limited in their potential to authentically represent minority group cultures and identities and demonstrate deficit-oriented perspectives towards the living conditions of minority groups.…”

“…Although these ethnic minorities are often numerical 'majority' groups in their inhabited regions and perform a variety of ethnic minority traditions and cultures, they represent a fraction smaller than 10% of China's total population and are officially classified as shaoshu minzu (少数民族), translated literally as 'minority ethnic group'. Moreover, the schooling system in ethnic minority regions of China is primarily organised in line with the nationally standardised curriculum and evaluation (Liu et al, 2022). Thus, this study adopts terms like zhiguo minzu and 'ethnic minority teachers' to both underscore their socially minoritised status in China and provide analytical clarity (Lee, 2016).…”

“…Over the past few decades, deficit thinking in educational practices has received increased scholarly attention across various contexts (Hummelstedt et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2022;Smit, 2012;Valencia & Solórzano, 1997;Walker, 2011). Some existing literature (Patton Davis & Museus, 2019;Valencia, 2010) has identified several main attributes of deficit thinking in education.…”

Quantifying Urban Linguistic Diversity Related to Rainfall and Flood across China with Social Media Data

“…The increased emphasis on language and culture preservation has expanded research on linguistic diversity, especially within diverse linguistic and cultural terrain in China [19,20]. Previous research predominantly used statistics and surveys, employing oral interviews, questionnaires, and field investigations for data collection and analysis [21][22][23].…”

Human rights issues in the English language curriculum in China

“…Within the broader socio-political landscape of China, textbooks are instrumental in shaping collective consciousness. By presenting a unified version of history, culture, and societal norms, they enhance social cohesion, ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds and regions share a coherent understanding of their nation and its global position (Liu et al, 2022).…”