Textbook Hinduism : A Textbook Analysis of the Construction of Hinduism in Lower Secondary School Religion Books

The aim of this study is to analyse descriptions of Hinduism in religion textbooks for secondary school from a postcolonial perspective. Using discourse analysis, six textbooks have been analysed with emphasis on which colonial structures can be found in each books' description of Hinduism. Furthermore, the study takes on a time perspective, analysing whether any differences in colonial structures can be seen regarding textbooks connected to the Swedish school curricula lpo 94, lgr 11 and lgr 22. The textbooks have been analysed using postcolonial theories, primarily focusing on theories regarding the world religions paradigm. The analysis resulted in three themes describing colonial constructions of Hinduism within the textbooks; “binarism and exoticism”, “christocentrism” and “representation and reduction”. The study shows that all six textbooks reproduce colonial structures regarding Hinduism within these themes, and that a change over time in curricula can not be seen.