Constructing Threats and a Need for Control: Textbook Descriptions of a Growing, Moving World Population

Autor/inn/en	Mikander, Pia; Holm, Gunilla
Titel	Constructing Threats and a Need for Control: Textbook Descriptions of a Growing, Moving World Population
Quelle	In: Review of International Geographical Education Online, 4 (2014) 1, S.7-25 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2146-0353
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Population Trends; Migrants; Migration; Textbooks; Cultural Influences; Geography; Geography Instruction; Population Growth; Global Approach; Foreign Policy; Urbanization; Discourse Analysis; Mobility; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; History; Social Sciences; Finland; Europe + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Bevölkerungsprognose; Migrantin; Textbook; Text book; Schulbuch; Lehrbuch; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Geografie; Geography education; Geography lessons; Geografieunterricht; Population increase; Bevölkerungswachstum; Globales Denken; Außenpolitik; Urbanisation; Urbanisierung; Diskursanalyse; Mobilität; Mobilitätsförderung; School year 05; 5. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 05; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; School year 09; 9. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 09; Geschichte; Geschichtsdarstellung; Social science; Sozialwissenschaften; Gesellschaftswissenschaften; Finnland; Europa
Abstract	The population of the world is growing and moving. The overwhelming majority of people are on the move inside their own country and mostly towards cities while a minority moves from non-Western areas to the West. In Finnish geography, history and social science school textbooks, this mobility tends to be depicted differently depending on whether the movers represent "us" or "them." Global population growth is most prevalent in the poorest regions of the world, even though Europe is clearly the most densely populated continent. Still, the talk of "overpopulation" does not usually concern Europe or the West. The article uses discourse theory analysis and a postcolonial framework to research the discourse of "us" and "them" with regard to population growth and migration as they are presented in Finnish textbooks. The results show that the hegemony of a superior West is alive and well in the books, which portray the non-Western populations as growing and moving in uncontrolled and threatening ways. Uncontrolled urbanization is seen as dangerous, and the implication is that there are too many people in non-Western areas. Metaphors such as natural disasters or floods are used to describe the moving population, while cities are described as "suffocating." (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Review of International Geographical Education Online. Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Meselik Campus, Eskisehir City, 26480, Turkey. Tel: +90-222-239-37-50; Tax: +90-222-229-31-24; Web site: http://www.rigeo.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2018/2/04