Historical Revisionism in Pakistani Textbooks: A Case Study of Public School Curriculum

Abstract

Rising terrorism against religions and ethnic minorities has been an issue for Pakistan in the recent years. This rise in hate crimes and targeted terrorism can be linked with the revisionist history which is being preached through the textbooks of the country. This paper aims to study through a detailed qualitative content analysis how this revisionist history is being created, how facts and language are being manipulated to latently influence the thinking of young school going students to create a feeling if homogeneity within the country in which people that do not become part of the permitted social narrative are looked at upon as outsiders. It was concluded that through distortion, omission of necessary facts and the manipulation of language a systematic narrative is being shaped in the country which creates resentment against religious and ethnic minorities as well as India and the West.