ABSTRACT
Chapter 5, “Characterizing and Classifying Populations,” explores the discourse of six social studies teachers in World and United States History classes. Using critical discourse analysis, this research found that teachers’ narratives of Middle Eastern and African histories concentrated on conflict and war. This had the effect of restricting the range of possible classifications available for describing the inhabitants of the Middle East and Africa. For example, populations were often presented in binary relationships as aggressors or defenders, victims or victimizers, terrorists or terrorized. This was due to the fact that teachers imposed boundaries of classification by primarily discussing war and conflict in these regions at the expense of other aspects of each region’s histories, identities, an cultures.
