ETHNIC STEREOTYPES IN TEXTBOOKS : READING BETWEEN THE LINES, GOING BEYOND THE PAGES

Abstract

Textbooks used in Singapore are generally assumed to be free from ethnic stereotypes due to assumed strict control by the Ministry of Education. The present study looks into the ways in which different ethnic groups are portrayed in Singaporean textbooks, and whether their images correspond to changes in the wider society. Using content analysis, the ethnic distribution, the type of occupation, the type of housing and the kind of personality traits of different ethnic groups are carefully recorded. The content data are then compared with indices computed from official statistics to judge whether the textbook contents correspond to reality. It is found that the textbooks sampled are not as "antiseptic" as commonly believed. Malay, Indian and European characters made rare appearances in the Chinese language textbooks, and usually play token roles. The textbooks give an "upside-down" version of the occupational reality of Singapore, with strong stereotypes of the Chinese and Europeans holding jobs in the professional/technical category. There are also strong stereotypes of Chinese, Indians and Europeans living in private housing, which correlated with the occupational images. Also found are interesting differences between the English and Chinese textbooks, where the latter tends to neglect non-Chinese characters. While no racist remarks have been found , my findings indicate that the Ministry of Education does not seem to exercise tight control on the ethnic content of textbooks.