Bremen school books contain discriminatory content and illustrations – this is the finding of a short study by the State Center for Civic Education in Bremen. The study focused on historical books from the fields of society and politics for ninth and tenth grades that were published between 2013 and 2020.
“The present analysis shows that almost all of the school books examined contain implicitly or explicitly antisemitic, racist, anti-Sinti and Roma, anti-women and anti-queer content and illustrations,” says study author and cultural scientist Meral Eldie, classifying the results. Society and its discourses are only selectively presented as sensitive to discrimination. According to El, good approaches can also be seen in the books. But these are individual elements.
Specifically, the author criticizes the fact that the textbooks cast discriminated groups in a victim role. According to El, survivors of violence and people who have experienced discrimination should have a say themselves – for example with quotes, interviews and letters. “Not showing up means not existing.”
Last year, the Bremen Parliament asked the State Center for Civic Education in Bremen to tackle a corresponding project on textbooks.
