Discursive construction of Pakistan's national identity through curriculum textbook discourses in a Pakistani school in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This study investigates Pakistan's secondary school children's constructions of their national identity in a Pakistani school in Dubai by drawing on data collected from students and teachers from the case school and analysing national curriculum textbooks used in the school. Informed by Foucault's concepts, the article problematises how the curriculum textbooks are employed as a technology of power for inculcating national consciousness in the students. The findings suggest that Pakistan's national curriculum textbooks deploy a specific version of Islam as a major technology, which then influences other national identity signifiers in the textbooks for shaping students' national identity. The school affords a crucial space for the complex interplay of these technologies, which construct students' ethnocentric national identities, encouraging social polarisation. This has implications for Pakistan's national social cohesion as well as the potential for subverting international peaceful coexistence and working relationships, particularly in the selected overseas study context.

Teaching Global Citizenship in a Muslim-Majority Country: Perspectives of Teachers from the Religious, National, and International Education Sectors in Pakistan

“…Moreover, the outcome of this study indicated that teachers struggle with the concepts of CE and GCE. In the Pakistani educational context, textbooks are the main teaching materials for students and teachers; the Ministry of Education and the curriculum departments at the national and provincial levels are responsible for the development and approval of textbooks for schools (Qazi and Shah 2018). Schools and teachers in the public sector are not motivated to develop their personal interpretations of citizenship education and formulate their own goals for preparing students' minds.…”

“…In policy documents, citizenship is linked to character building, which requires knowledge of the Quran and Sunna 2 (National Education Policy 2017; Ashraf 2019). In Pakistan, the chief concepts in the creation of citizenship education are claimed to be Islamic ideologies and religious instructions, which many argue should be compulsory for Muslim students (Qazi and Shah 2018). National cohesion and diversity are other elements that are essential to citizenship education.…”

Discourse of Pakistan's Identity under Strand of Liberal Citizenship: A Case Study of Musharraf Education Policy Reforms

“…The prime purpose of this subject was to inculcate homogeneous vision among the students, which are mostly influenced by the moderate narrative of Islam (Ahmad, 2004;Faizi et al, 2012). The basic purpose behind this moderate homogenous vision was a single discourse of national identity, which is called Pakistani nationality (Durani & Dunne, 2010;Qazi & Shah, 2019).…”

“…The textbooks are the main carriers of ideology, which are influenced by politico-religious authorities that control the main memory of the future generations since it is the main instrument of social control. Islam was used as a tool to construct a homogeneous narrative to overcome ethnic differences that exist in Pakistan and to wipe out the colonial symbolism within this region (Zaidi, 2011;Ahmed, 2017;Qazi & Shah, 2019).…”

“…While education policies of 1979, 1992 and 1998 constructed the Pakistani identity in the context of "Muslim Ummah" to develop law-abiding and loyal Muslim citizens (Qurban & Amin, 2019). Furthermore, the textbooks also tended to promote identity and loyalty to Muslim Ummah (a global Muslim unity) by segregating the world into Muslims and non-muslims to construct a sense of Us v/s Them (Salim & Khan, 2004;Lall, 2008;Qazi & Shah, 2019).…”