Invisibility and Ownership of Language: Problems of Representation in Russian Language Textbooks

Abstract

Using the 2 theoretical lenses of representation (Barthes, 1977) and ownership of language (Higgins, 2003), this article offers a critical analysis of representations of Russian speakers in 9 widely used Russian language textbooks aimed at university‐level learners. Particular attention is paid to representations of Russian speakers other than white Orthodox Christian ethnic Russians. Findings indicate that there are virtually no representations of such “other” speakers in the materials under investigation. This absence is framed as an erasure (hooks, 1992), a violent removal that significantly misrepresents the actual diversity of speakers of Russian and restricts putative ownership of the Russian language. The authors argue that not only is this inaccurate portrayal pedagogically problematic; it is also politically so, as it coincides with a rising tide of ethnic Russian nationalism in the Russian Federation. The article ends with a call for more accurate portrayals of the actual diversity of users of Russian.

„Time to talk“ aneb Čas mluvit o tom, komu patří angličtina v české učebnici

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Developing Critical Materials for a Mainstream EFL Textbook – a Disruptive Innovation?

“…He argues that guideline writers represent the world in the way that publishers want it to be represented, with a prohibition on the inclusion of any controversial topics. It is true that representation is very powerful and political (Azimova & Johnston, 2012) but publishing guidelines are also used to protectboth the publisher and end user. For example, Indonesia is one country for which my company provides textbooks and our guidelines ensure its culture and religion are not offended.…”

Representing language, culture, and language users in textbooks: A critical approach to swahili multiculturalism

“…Thus the choice of any one category of language users to present as the L1 speech community is also ideological. For example, Azimova and Johnston () show that the representation of Russian users in Russian as a foreign language textbooks erases Russian users who do not conform to the dominant image of “white, middle‐class, Orthodox Christian ethnic Russians living in the Russian Federation, most commonly in large cities such as Moscow and Petersburg” (p. 346). Textbook authors' intentions notwithstanding, the result is the reinforcement of “exclusionary identities” linked to nationalism (p. 347).…”

“…Most Swahili textbooks, therefore, have sidestepped this problem by acknowledging the existence of diverse users, but focusing instruction on Standard Swahili, a dialect not associated with any ethnic group. Recognizing that textbooks are learners' primary source for representations of target language speakers and their cultures (Azimova & Johnston, ), I question how SFL textbooks address the identities and cultures of the Swahili users they represent, arguing that a narrow focus on Standard Swahili does not allow textbooks to address the complexity and contentiousness of Swahili multiculturalism. I conclude by addressing the relationship between textbooks and pedagogies, offering recommendations for how classroom teachers can adopt a critical multicultural approach to SFL pedagogy in order to help students approach their textbooks with an eye toward the third space (Bhabha, ) in which simple definitions of Swahili people and their cultures collapse.…”