Race, Culture, and Identities in Second Language Education: A Comprehensive Review of Research and Insights

Abstract

EFL textbooks are more than just grammatical references; they are also a tool that allows students to acquire their first glances of the target culture. Therefore, such information in these materials must be well chosen to avoid putting forward a one-sided picture of the target society, which may revive old stereotypes. This article evaluates the identification of the target culture to address this concern by analyzing EFL textbooks. Hypotheses of the research are: The primary hypothesis is that the content of the analyzed materials is dominated by the image of the target culture about other cultures; the secondary hypothesis is that gender, national, and ethnic prejudices can be traced in the content of the analyzed materials. Thus, the study findings show that the target culture dominates the EFL textbooks. This study brought the following three findings. First of all, EFL materials portray a narrow vision coming from American and British cultural products, thus reducing learners' opportunities to encounter the rather broad representation of the target community. More particularly, the texts underline such features of popular culture as American, while cultural heritage features are closer to the British ones.