Cultural representation in English and Arabic textbooks endorsed by Indonesian government: What do textbooks tell us about?

Abstract

Despite the fact that research on cultural representation in textbooks has been widely discussed, very little is known about the cultural representation in Arabic and English textbooks that have been endorsed by the Indonesian government. These textbooks are both written in Arabic. The purpose of this research is to address this gap by analyzing the cultural depictions of significant concepts found in each of the respective textbooks. According to the findings of the current research project, the two textbooks represent culture by using the categories of person, product, perspective, and practice. These categories are nested within the conceptual framework of cultural representations, which also includes (1) introduction, (2) time, (3) profession, (4) health, (5) story, and (6) daily activities. To be more specific, Arabic textbooks often take a linguistic approach, and within the category of people, they include a greater number of Arabic names than local names. In particular, the category of people in Arabic textbooks is more likely to contain Arabic names than local names. This goes against the grain of English textbooks, which usually make allowances for some regionally significant vocabulary. In most areas, local culture is more prominently represented than that of other cultures, although English textbooks may differ from Arabic textbooks in some regions. Arabic textbooks, in comparison to their English counterparts, feature more images and provide a more nuanced discussion of local history and customs. Similarly, unlike English textbooks, Arabic textbooks in other cultures emphasize text over images. Last but not least, this study has implications for the need for specific regulations from the Indonesian government to regulate the percentage of cultural values in Arabic and English textbooks in order to foster the development of cross-cultural understanding, a crucial component of multicultural education.