Identity representations in three textbooks for German as an additional language: reflections on family images

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the identity representations that guide German language teaching in a sample of three textbooks (DaF kompakt neu A1, Akademie Deutsch A+, Zeitgeist). Using image analysis (Joly 2007), decolonial perspective (Mignolo 2003, 2011; Maldonado-Torres 2007), assumptions of critical linguistic education (Candau 2011, 2020) and reflections on ethnic-racial, social and gender representativeness (Oniesko, Ferreira 2021), as theoretical and methodological references, we investigated the semiotic and discursive potential based on the theme family. The qualitative-interpretative analysis of the images and didactic proposals that make up the materials indicate that textbooks from international publishers present a limited range of family models, which can reinforce stereotypes and promote a distancing from the reality experienced by the local public. Based on these results and the analysis of the Zeitgeist textbook, this study seeks to highlight the importance of local projects for German teaching, especially in the academic contexts. This study argues for the relevance of didactic-pedagogical approaches that involve a critical and political perspective, highlighting that the expansion of representations in teaching materials, both through images and in their discursive aspects, can contribute to the students’ better participation and engagement in different language practices in the target language.