Textbooks & Nationhood: A Content Analysis of Punjab Secondary Curriculum English Textbooks During Early Ayub Khan Era in Pakistan

Abstract

Textbooks are great artefacts in the hands of governments that help in fostering the sense of nationhood among students. The present study analyses aspects of nationhood as depicted in the Punjab’s secondary curriculum English textbooks of early Ayub Khan’s rule in Pakistan. Adopted as the main focal theme, the concept of nationhood is operationalized into three categories, including modernization, Pakistan society and culture, and glorious history. The sample textbooks include English textbooks of Short Poem Collection and Secondary Stage English that were Published by Punjab University Board during early 1960s. Based on content analysis of textbooks, data findings reveal that the notion of nationhood is taken up through progress-based modernization, promotion of indigenous culture and society as well as military glorious history, and not much on religious ideology as often claimed in scores of analytic writings about textbook contents of Pakistan.