THE REPRESENTATION OF BRICS COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL HISTORY TEXTBOOKS - PhD thesis study

Aug 21, 2026

South Africa’s inclusion in the BRICS geopolitical and economic bloc has shaped its national and international political economy. Joining in 2010, alongside the CAPS curriculum implementation, BRICS membership influenced what partners are emphasized in school history. This study examines how BRICS countries are represented in South African school history textbooks and why this representation takes the observed form. Using qualitative content analysis, guided by power and authority, the research identifies heavy emphasis on Russia, strong foregrounding of male leadership, and limited change in textbook historiography.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages310

Reading Time13 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Introduction

THE REPRESENTATION OF BRICS COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL HISTORY TEXTBOOKS TARRYN CHANEL HALSALL (u18300830) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a PhD in Education (History Education) University of Pretoria DECEMBER 2023 Supervisor: Professor J.M. Wassermann As the candidate’s supervisor, I agree to the submission of this thesis. Signed: Prof JM Wassermann (supervisor) ETHICAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE The author, whose name appears on the title page of this thesis, has obtained, for the research described in this work, the applicable research ethics approval. The author declares that he/she has observed the ethical standards required in terms of the University of Pretoria’s Code of ethics for researchers and the Policy guidelines for responsible research. ABSTRACT South Africa’s inclusion in the geopolitical and economic power bloc BRICS has influenced its political and economic landscape both nationally and internationally. South Africa joined the BRICS bloc in 2010, just prior to the establishment of the then-new curriculum, Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). South African’s insertion into the BRICS bloc has secured South Africa’s international clout and as such, it has changed its global landscape as well as political allegiances. Given this important collaboration between the Global South and its fellow BRICS counterparts, it is important to discern then what South Africans learn of these countries within the programmatic curriculum. My research focused on the phenomenon of representation guided by two research questions: how are the BRICS countries represented within South Africa’s school history textbooks and why they are represented the way they are? It is important to understand, given South Africa’s important political and economic affiliations, how South Africa represents its key partners in its history textbooks. What is learned of these countries within the programmatic curriculum versus the political reality of South Africa. My study was guided by the conceptual framing of power and authority. Where does the power and authority lie within historical representation and who decides it? I used qualitative content analysis to analyse my findings from each textbook. The methodological choice, underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm, worked for my study as it was necessary for the themes to emerge from the data as opposed to working with preestablished themes. A number of themes emerged from the extensive analysis and from that, several key findings emerged. The first key finding notes that Russian historical representation dwarfs the other BRICS partners. The focus on Russian is extremely heavy-handed and thus isin keeping with South Africa’s long and deeply historical relationship with Russia, especially as an anti-apartheid ally. This signifies that Russia’s history is the most important and therefore, considered powerful in that it reasserts the power and authority of the current government. Secondly, a golden thread that runs across the grades and textbooks is that of male leadership. The textbooks heavily foreground male historical leaders and women’s history and contributions are largely silenced. The male leaders represented are considered as powerful ‘big men’ and thus are represented as heroes and great movers of history. Lastly, it is evident that textbook historiography has remained largely unchanged despite new scholarship. (Keywords: history textbooks; BRICS; representation) LANGUAGE EDITOR’S DISCLAIMER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “This is so important for you to understand. I didn’t make it that far on my own. I mean, to accept that credit or that mantle would discount every single person that has helped me to get here today—that gave me advice, that made an effort, that gave me time, that lifted me when I fell. It gives the wrong impression that we can do it alone. None of us can. The whole concept of self-made man, or woman, is a myth.” – Arnold Sc

FAQs

What is the main focus of the research on BRICS in South African history textbooks?

The research investigates how BRICS countries are represented in South African school history textbooks and why they are represented in that way. It contrasts what is learned through the curriculum with the political reality of South Africa.

Which BRICS country receives the strongest emphasis in the textbooks?

Russian historical representation is described as dominating the portrayal of other BRICS partners. The thesis links this to South Africa’s long historical relationship with Russia as an anti-apartheid ally.

What themes about gender and leadership emerge from the analysis?

A key recurring theme is male leadership across grades and textbooks. Male historical leaders are heavily foregrounded as powerful heroes, while women’s history and contributions are largely silenced.

Aug 21, 2026

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