Developing Responsible Elites: A Qualitative Content Analysis of History Textbooks of Elite Schools in Pakistan

Abstract

Elites in Pakistan play a central role in shaping the civic and political culture of the state. Civic and political sense is largely cultivated by the schools through citizenship education. Through qualitative content analysis, the present study explores how one of the most widely used series of history textbooks in elite schools prepares students for civic and political participation. The results revealed that civic participation was mostly associated with religious teachings, and political participation was confined to wars of succession and the struggle for independence. However, the need to participate in sustainable development was stressed. There is a wide room for the narratives of the textbook to accommodate historical consciousness and multiple-perspectivity so that elite students can broaden the scope of their roles and responsibilities towards the state and could understand the perspective and welcome multitudes in the socio-economic and political spheres of the country.