Identity Options in Russian Textbooks

Abstract

This article introduces a new analytical approach to the study of identity options offered in foreign and second language textbooks. This approach, grounded in poststructuralist theory and critical discourse analysis, is applied to 2 popular beginning Russian textbooks. Two sets of identity options are examined in the study: imagined learners (targeted implicitly by the texts) and imagined interlocutors (invoked explicitly). It is argued that, while one text, Russian Stage 1, offers a richer variety of identity options for the students, neither book fully reflects the diversity of contemporary Russian society. The biases and oversimplifications identified in the texts represent lost opportunities for cross-cultural reflection; they may also negatively affect the students and deprive them of important means of self-representation and at times even self-defense. The discussion suggests some directions for future research inquiry, as well as for material writing and classroom practice that would promote intercultural competence and critical language awareness. Key words: identity, critical pedagogy, foreign language textbooks, Russian