Caeteris paribus: a grounded theory study on the rhizomatic tendencies among a select group of Philippine secondary History textbook writers

Abstract

Deleuze and Guattari’s (2013) principles of the rhizome (Mackness et al. 2016) were applied in curriculum research and theorizing as a lens to interpret curriculum documents such as textbooks. The aim was to identify the ways of making meaning that reflect rhizomatic tendencies, that is, those approaches which challenge authoritarian and hierarchical ways of thinking, as writers and readers narrate and engage with the past in History text books. There is a dearth of literature on the writing processes of Philippine secondary History textbook authors. This study aims to fill that void by determining the existence of rhizomatic tendencies in Philippine secondary History textbook writing and to posit a rhizomatic textbook writing process. A select group of twenty Philippine secondary History textbook authors participated in individual, structured in-depth interviews. Applying the Glaserian method of analysis, field texts were inductively evaluated using a repertory grid. In analyzing the data, The Spoke of Rhizomatic Textbook Writing Model was formulated as a framework for rhizomatic textbook writing. This model consists of five distinct stages: the matching, mapping, expanding, enriching, and evolving stages. Its hub represents the participants’ interrogating actions to factual, perceptual, experiential, and procedural questions that define the direction and centrality of their writing experience, while its spokes signify lenses borne of the participants’ responses to questions that facilitate rhizomatic writing. The resultant rhizomatic textbook writing framework and writing process offer a guide in devising and teaching historical discourse beyond a traditional narrative chronology of events.