Nederlandstalige werelden in NT2-tekstboeken: banaal of cultureel divers?

Abstract

Abstract Previous research shows that textbooks for learning foreign languages are prone to be written from a national rather than a diverse cultural perspective (Risager, 2018). Few studies have examined this topic for Dutch foreign language (DFL) learning materials. Therefore, the aim of this article is to review (inter)national literature and draw up lessons for the DFL-context. We outline characteristics of national and cultural studies’ perspectives on representations of language and culture in learning materials. Whereas national studies may uncover ‘banal nationalism’, cultural studies can reveal degrees of cultural diversity in textbooks. Future research should examine to what extent banal versus diverse cultural tendencies are represented in DFL-textbooks. We should also investigate how such representations have evolved over time (if at all), whether they differ in books published in the Netherlands, Belgium or elsewhere, and compare how representations in DFL-textbooks relate to the international body of knowledge. Such knowledge will benefit publishers and writers of DFL-materials and the teachers and students who work with them. It will also serve to determine to what degree DFL-materials contribute to educational goals of intercultural dialogue (Council of Europe, 2017; Taalunie, 2018) and inclusive education (UNESCO, 2017), in and outside of Dutch-speaking countries.