Portrayal of Religion Against the Backdrop of Progress and Modernity in the US and Canadian Social Science Textbooks from 1850 to 2010

Abstract

How is Christianity discussed in textbooks as societies entered the modern era? To what extent do textbooks reflect the changes and continuities in societal worldviews and values? This chapter examines discussion of religion, science, and notions of progress in secondary school social science textbooks in the US and Canada from 1850 to 2010, using data coded from 527 textbooks. Consistent with expectations for secularizing societies, we find that discussion of religion declines over time. However, we find the extent to which Christianity is discussed and portrayed differs in the US and Canadian textbooks. Our findings suggest that discussion of Christianity in Canadian textbooks is higher than that in the US textbooks in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but that discussion of religious topics decline rapidly in Canadian textbooks compared to those in the United States. Simultaneously, we observe a rise of secular morality reflecting values of progressivism in textbooks although Christian principles and values appear to be associated with notions of progress, especially in the United States. What this suggests is a shift from Christian to secular morality but with persistent links to religious values rather than values-neutral scientific emphases.