'Jihad Literacy': The Legacy of Us-Sponsored Textbooks for Afghan Children

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Bibliographic Details
Title: 'Jihad Literacy': The Legacy of Us-Sponsored Textbooks for Afghan Children
Language: English
Authors: Nangyalai Attal, Bjorn Harald Nordtveit
Source: Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. 2024 45(2):274-290.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Children, Literacy Education, Textbook Publication, Politics of Education, Textbook Content, Federal Programs, International Organizations, Educational Strategies, Religious Factors, Cultural Influences, Racism, Religious Discrimination, Armed Forces, Ideology, Propaganda, Information Dissemination, Misinformation
Geographic Terms: Afghanistan
DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2024.2309668
ISSN: 0159-6306
1469-3739
Abstract: This paper uses critical discourse analysis and critical literacy to analyze the first in a series of literacy primers developed with US support for children in Afghanistan in the 1980s, called 'Jihad literacy'. The text is analyzed for its ideological content as related to the themes of religion, violence, and martyrdom in the historical perspective of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The paper demonstrates how the notion of 'Jihad' was subverted to promote a holy war against the Soviet invasion. The educational system supported by the US created a radical version of Islam based on violence and martyrdom, shaping the Afghan society to this day. We contend that the same or similar institutions shape current discourses as in the past and that children are the main victims of politico-economic warfare.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1416271
Database: ERIC
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Description
Abstract:This paper uses critical discourse analysis and critical literacy to analyze the first in a series of literacy primers developed with US support for children in Afghanistan in the 1980s, called 'Jihad literacy'. The text is analyzed for its ideological content as related to the themes of religion, violence, and martyrdom in the historical perspective of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The paper demonstrates how the notion of 'Jihad' was subverted to promote a holy war against the Soviet invasion. The educational system supported by the US created a radical version of Islam based on violence and martyrdom, shaping the Afghan society to this day. We contend that the same or similar institutions shape current discourses as in the past and that children are the main victims of politico-economic warfare.
ISSN:0159-6306
1469-3739
DOI:10.1080/01596306.2024.2309668