(O)synlig makt : En maktanalys av läroböcker för svenska som andraspråk

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to apply a power perspective upon textbooks used in the upper secondary school course of Swedish as a second language 3. Three different textbooks have been analysed from three perspectives regarding content, addressivity and activities. The analysis focuses firstly on to which extent and in which way the textbook authors connect language use on the basis of gender, social background and cultural belonging to aspects of power. Secondly, the ways in which the textbook authors invite pupils to negotiate about actualized conditions are examined. Ultimately, the balance between the four orientations constituting Janks (2010) interdependent framework for critical literacy education is described based on the textbooks’ tasks. The result shows that social background is prominent when two of the textbooks write about connections between language and power, whereas gender is assigned a marginalized position in all textbooks. The connections to power are mainly made by emphasizing the importance of mastering the dominant language, described as key to linguistic and cultural capital. The textbook authors often engage the pupil’s as well as external voices in their texts and rarely ascribe themselves roles of authorities. Regarding the framework for critical literacy, a problematic imbalance is caused by the lack of tasks that engage pupils in activities aiming to redesign their worlds in terms of social action.