This paper investigates the Islam and Muslim life in German textbooks. The study is based on the analysis
of current Geography textbooks in Bavarian secondary schools. As a first step, the authors developed a
system for objective analysis of the textbooks that structures the content in categories. In a second step,
the authors used the qualitative method. One category system was developed to analyze the didactical
quality of the illustration to the theme Islam and Muslim life another category system was developed to
analyze the different aspects of Islam and Muslim life in textbooks. Quantitative analysis shows that the
book authors use a variety of illustrations, but especially photos followed by maps. The quality is
generally good. Three aspects were selected for qualitative analysis: Spatial representations of Islam,
Islam as a religion and Muslim people in Germany. The spatial representation of Islam across the different
textbooks is very diverse. Islam is usually not presented as a European phenomenon. The presentation of
Islam as an oriental phenomenon risks propagating the idea that there is no other religious group in this
area. The information on Islam as a religion is often superficial and may cause students to falsely assume
that Islam is a homogeneous religion. Overall, the reader is led to wrongly falsely assume that Muslim
migrants, many of whom are living in the 3rd generation in Germany, are still not really part of German
society. This is certainly not true for the majority.
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Submission Date | December 19, 2015 |
| Acceptance Date | March 27, 2016 |
| Publication Date | April 30, 2016 |
| IZ | https://izlik.org/JA62ZB75RW |
| Published in Issue | Year 2016 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 |