This is a study that aims to discern whether there are any differences between upper secondary level school textbooks published both before The Living History Forum (a government agency that works with issues on tolerance, democracy and human rights) was founded and after with regards to their depiction of Judaism in general and anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in particular. Underscoring the relevancy of this topic, in 1997 CEIFO (The Centre for Research in International Migration and Ethnic Relations) and Brå (Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention) conducted a survey among school children which revealed a lack of knowledge regarding the Holocaust (including whether it had even occurred). With this educational deficiency in mind, this study attempts to determine if there is an active development in text-book authoring regarding this subject.Using Norman Fairclough's critical discourse analysis (CDA) eight textbooks (four old and four new) are examined and compared in order to see if there have been changes in discourse regarding this topic over time. Fairclough's critical discourse analysis is a method used to analyse the relationship between discourse and changes in social and cultural development, and is thus employed in this case to determine if any significant changes have been made in textbooks regarding this topic.As a future teacher in religion it is important for me (and others) to be aware of this type of issue in order to be able to combat it when encountered in schools. It is also important, and part of one’s responsibility as a teacher, to actively and critically work with and review textbooks.This study has not found any major changes in the depiction of Judaism and anti-Semitism in any of the textbooks reviewed. Though the reasons for this may be many, my theory concerns all the variables an author or a publisher has to consider when making new textbooks or revising old ones. It is not a simple thing to write text books.
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