“To Survive, You Must Look Good or Talk Even Better” : En Analys av Könsrepresentationer och Könsstereotypisering i EFL Kursböcker

The aim of this study is to explore gender representations and gender stereotypes of women and men in EFL coursebooks, regarding the aspects of agency, appearance, and role. The method used is close reading. Close reading was used to analyze the gender representations in each coursebook. The theoretical framework consists of the concept of performativity, derived from gender studies and feminist criticism. This concept involves the idea that gender is a social construction that is determined by culture and society, and that one “performs” one’s gender role. This study shows that the coursebooks, to varying degrees, problematize stereotypical representations of men and women. The study concludes that the EFL coursebooks contain stereotypical representations, much like the coursebooks covered in previous research. What the present study has found, more specifically, is that the affiliated EFL coursebooks, explicitly or implicitly, challenge, problematize, and draw attention to stereotypical representations. More importantly, however, it is emphasized that there is a need to problematize stereotypical representations and that teachers should be aware of these aspects when working with coursebooks in class.