It's a Small World After All: From Stereotypes to Invented Worlds in Secondary School Spanish Textbooks

Abstract The history of textbooks is a history of contested territory. Science and history textbooks for K–12 students are particularly vulnerable to protests from various constituencies. What is the history of potentially controversial, sociopolitical material in Spanish language textbooks? Are today's students presented with a nuanced and complex vision of the Spanish-speaking world? Have historically rooted cultural and racial stereotypes disappeared or do they remain in cloaked forms? This study examines four high school Spanish language textbooks currently in use in the US and discusses how the sociopolitical content and underlying messages inherent in their design and activities has (or has not) changed in comparison with analyses of textbooks published between 1975 and 2000. Suggestions for new directions are given that would incorporate intellectually challenging material, real-life portraits, and social issues of the Spanish-speaking world—rather than the imaginary worlds drawn by today's high school textbooks. Acknowledgments I extend my deepest appreciation to Ryuko Kubota, L. Kathy Heilenman, Erika Gubrium, and two anonymous reviewers for their excellent assistance and advice in editing and revising this paper. I also thank Terry Osborn for encouraging me to explore this topic.