Unity in diversity? The representation of ethnic diversity in Pakistani textbooks and through teacher and student perspectives

Ethnic diversity in Pakistan encompasses linguistic, religious, tribal, and regional differences. This article examinessome of the narratives around ethnic diversity in upper secondary school textbooks, the challenges of providing inclusiveopportunities for diverse groups within Pakistan faced by citizenship educators and learners’ perceptions of therepresentation of ethnic diversity. The article draws on Civics and Pakistan Studies textbooks, focus group interviews withsixteen students and semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers from eight schools and colleges in Punjab, Pakistan.Both the textbooks and the interviews are analyzed through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Key messagesabout citizenship from Pakistani textbooks are brought into dialogue with data gathered from interviews with Pakistaniteachers and students to illuminate contrasting perspectives on the representation of Pakistani ethnic diversity. Findingsindicate that the textbooks used in schools represent a view of Pakistan as a homogeneous country united by its distinctiveIslamic foundation and its national language. They also project an image of Pakistan attempting to offer an inclusive embraceto those of other languages and religions within the borders of the Pakistani nation. The article concludes with somereflections on the challenges of developing students’ civic knowledge and understanding about multidimensional identity inPakistan, given the limited and idealized treatment of ethnic diversity in the analyzed texts