Swiss textbooks fall short on issues of racism

© Keystone / Christian Beutler

Experts warn that questions of race and racism are not sufficiently addressed in Swiss school textbooks.  

The Federal Commission against Racism presented a study on Monday noting that social normality is portrayed in rather homogenous and white in schoolbooks.  It says racism is a subject that should be part of the school curriculum.

The debate on racism has intensified in recent years. School textbooks have adapted to some extent. There is a growing sensitivity, for example, to problematic terms such as “Indian” or “Eskimo” –no longer considered politically correct in reference to the indigenous populations of the United States and Canada.  The notion of a “colonial” Switzerland is now addressed in some educational books, according to the study which looked at how Swiss school textbooks deal with racism and the representation of social diversity.

But this is not enough, says the commission.  The subject of racism does not feature in either the French-language Plan d’études or its German-language counterpart (Lehrplan 21). Textbooks do not offer an exhaustive definition of racism. It is presented only from a historical perspective or as an interpersonal phenomenon. The structural dimension of racism, which contributes to the hierarchisation and categorisation of individuals, is also missing.

Limited diversity

The analysis also shows that the textbooks offer few avenues for critical reflection on racism, and only occasionally represent a plural society resulting from migration. The societal norm is generally presented as white. Diversity is confined to pages explicitly dedicated to this theme.

Overall, the representation of diversity is more marked for Switzerland and Europe than for more distant territories. The latter are often presented in a stereotypical way, with culturally homogeneous communities. The Inuit, for example, are presented in their traditional dimension, without individual portraits of modern Inuit who would offer a more nuanced vision.

Teachers are finding that books are inadequate and that their training is lacking in this area, according to the same source. The commission therefore recommends that the subject of racism be included in curricula and to reinforce teachers’ skills.