Slavery in Two Nations: Examining the Presentation of Slavery in Secondary U.S. and Brazilian History Textbooks Público

Abstract

In social studies classrooms textbooks serve as arbiters of official knowledge as well as tools for instruction. As such, it is important to investigate how these books present historical content to both teachers and students and whether that presentation reflects current historical scholarship and is likely to stimulate critical thinking and interpretation. The purpose of this study was to explore how the topic of slavery was presented in secondary U.S. and Brazilian history textbooks. The United States and Brazil were the two largest slave societies in the history of New World slavery and the varying legacies of that history remain salient in both nations. As a result, slavery and the slave trade are important topics to be taught in history courses and future generations need to be given as accurate information as possible about the history, complexities, and legacies of slavery in order to be well-informed citizens. I conducted a content analysis of textbooks in the two countries to compare how slavery was presented to students and to assess the degree to which the complexities and legacies of slavery are addressed. In this study I found several important patterns. Among these were that the political and social spheres of history dominated the references to slavery. Brazilian textbooks had more references to the economic sphere of slavery than the U.S. textbooks, but the U.S. authors highlighted more extraordinary individuals in relation to slavery than did the Brazilian authors. The authors of all textbooks essentialized the varied experiences of enslaved people, particularly those of enslaved women. As one of history's great injustices, the topic of slavery remains an enduring and controversial issue with legacies that transcend many contemporary concerns that include, but are not limited to race, class, gender, and identity.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents CHAPTER I: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: 1

Purpose of the Study: 1

Background: 2

The U.S. Context: 2

The Brazilian Context: 5

Theoretical Framework: 7

Definition of Terms: 9

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE: 12

Comparative Studies of History and Social Studies Textbooks: 13

Slavery in U.S. History Textbooks: 14

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY: 24

Sample: 24

U.S. Textbooks: 25

Brazilian Textbooks: 28

Method: 31

Reliability and Validity: 34

Researcher Perspective: 35

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS: 38

Overall Presentation of Slavery: 38

U.S. Textbooks: 38

Brazilian Textbooks: 44

Similarities and Differences in Textbooks: 48

Spheres of History: 49

Complexities and Legacies of Slavery: 63

Complexity: 64

Legacy: 75

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION: 80

Previous Research: 80

Comparative Studies of Textbooks: 82

Slavery in Textbooks: 83

Implications for Research: 86

Implications for Practice: 87

Limitations: 88

REFERENCES: 90

APPENDICES: 101

APPENDIX A: U.S. and Brazilian secondary history textbooks: 101

APPENDIX B: Slavery English and Portuguese keyword lists: 102

APPENDIX C: Coding Scheme: 104

APPENDIX D: Sample content analysis worksheet: 106

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Chapters in Selected Secondary U.S. History Textbooks: 39

Table 2 Chapter Titles for Three Standard U.S. History Textbooks: 39

Table 3 Counts of Slave vs. Enslaved in Standard U.S. History Textbooks: 43

Table 4 Chapters in Selected Secondary Brazilian History Textbooks: 45

Table 5 Levels of Heading Titles Explicitly Mentioning Slavery in Brazilian Textbooks: 46

Table 6 Counts of References of Social and Political Spheres of History for The Americans: 51

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Average References by Spheres of History: 50

Figure 2 Counts of References of Degrees of Complexity for U.S. and Brazilian Textbooks: 65

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Educational Studies
Degree	PhD
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Education, General Education, Social Sciences Education, Secondary
Palabra Clave	history education U.S. history brazil textbooks
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Hahn, Carole L, Emory University
Committee Members	Engelhard, George, Emory University Siddle Walker, Vanessa, Emory University

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