Teaching the Others’ History in an Arab National Context Comparing Emirati to Syrian School Textbooks

This study examines the way world history is taught in two Arab states of diverse backgrounds and international statuses, i.e., the Syrian Arab Republic before the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the United Arab Emirates. Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) is applied to analyze extracts taken from each country’s history textbooks, highlighting the commonalities and differences between them. More specifically, historical narratives are juxtaposed and various insights into the interplay between state ideology and international relations are provided. Findings reveal the relevance of domestic politics and regional geopolitics in determining Syrian and Emirati views of other Arab peoples, colonialism, the Ottomans, and the Western and non-Western worlds alike. More importantly, the study sheds light on what these societies consider important to be taught as part of their building and indexing of national identity, amidst turbulent times in the entire region.