Educational reforms and identity shifts in Tunisia: Between Islamist pressures and institutional reactions (1956–2002)

Since independence in 1956, Tunisia’s education system has undergone three major reforms. Undoubtedly the Charfi reform of 1991 was the most profound when, with the educational system already Arabized from a linguistic point of view, the minister redefined Tunisian identity as independent from the rest of the Arab world in line with a general revisitation of Tunisian identity by the ruling class. The purpose of this article is to understand how major reforms have affected and been incorporated into teaching materials and teachers’ practices and to highlight the presence and effective application of any identity shifts. To this end, we are going to analyse different interpretations of some historical or mythological characters within Tunisian history programmes, as they provide a good example when grasping the identity change from the main Arabic and Maghreb reference to the Tunisian one as specifically Mediterranean. In addition to the analysis of a sample of textbooks – which have contributed in shaping the values of the country, due to the mandatory use of a unique school textbook produced by the state – the article is based on primary and secondary sources, such as interviews with teachers and inspectors of education. Between Islamist pressures and institutional reactions, the school, through the reforms of the education system, has tried to mediate, defining a ‘standard’ version of what it means to be a Tunisian citizen. This concept of citizenship is analysed starting from the curricula of history and geography, disciplines directly involved in the construction of identity.