EXAMINING ISLAMIC IDEOLOGICAL NARRATIVES IN MIDDLE AND SECONDARY ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS IN SINDH, PAKISTAN: A CDA APPROACH

Abstract

This study critically examines Islamic discourse in the English textbooks prescribed for middle and secondary school students in Sindh, Pakistan. It explores how these textbooks shape learners’ religious and national identities by encouraging pan-Islamic connections. The research highlights recurring themes drawn from textbook excerpts that are used by key actors in Sindh’s education system to promote a sense of Pakistani patriotism grounded in religion, rooted in the historical legacy of Pan-Islamism. Using a qualitative design, the study applies thematic analysis to selected content from the English textbooks. Its analytical framework is informed by Foucault’s discourse theory, particularly his ideas of the technologies of power and the self in producing subjects. The theoretical perspective also incorporates debates surrounding pan-Islamic thought. The findings suggest that within school education, textbooks function as influential tools that present Islam as an all-encompassing metaphor for Pakistan’s national identity. The study situates these textbooks within schools as sites of discursive social practices. It argues that by presenting discourse as legitimate knowledge, the textbooks lead students to construct an imagined “us” from a religious standpoint—both as Pakistanis in particular and as part of a broader Muslim brotherhood in general.