Representations of the European Union in German and UK secondary school textbooks - a comparative analysis
Date
2016
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
The current thesis observes secondary school textbooks from the UK and Germany
from a comparative perspective and evaluates how the European Union is represented in
them. For doing so, a methodology of qualitative content analysis along with a sociosemiotic
analysis of the visual materials is conducted. The UK and Germany have been
chosen as countries for the analysis since they take very different approaches towards
EU integration, Germany strongly supporting EU integration, and the UK being
apprehensive towards enhanced integration. Along with their significant political
influence in EU decision-making Germany can be seen as a driver and the UK as a critic
of EU integration. Based on the theoretically supported assumption that textbooks have
a political dimension and are subject to political control and influence, it aims to
understand if and how the narratives, presented in the textbooks, reflect government
positions towards the EU in both countries.
The analysis reveals a quite low standing of EU teaching, especially in the UK
textbooks. These mainly emphasize the institutional structure and economic aspects of
the union. Furthermore, the risk of losing too much sovereignty is regularly mentioned
which goes along with the British approach of “cooperating” with the European states
rather than “integrating”. The UK’s relationship with the EU, which is represented, can
be described as ambiguous. German textbooks, on the other hand, mainly emphasize
institutional aspects and the Monetary Union. The EU is usually represented as an
unfinished process with an undefined end, e.g. the enlargement discussion takes an
important position in the German textbooks. This goes along with the German
government's active engagement in integration processes. Furthermore, the EU is
presented as something incontestable. The solution for problems is generally seen in
ever further political integration. Altogether, the discourse by political élites and
governments is quite strongly present in the observed textbooks. However, perspectives
of other political actors may also be presented.