Portraits of Religion in Introductory American Government Textbooks: Images of Tolerance or Intolerance

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Eisenstein, Marie A.; Clark, April K.
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    Journal of Political Science Education. 2013 9(1):89-107.
  • Publication Date:
    2013
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      19
    • Education Level:
      Higher Education
      Postsecondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      United States Government (Course); Textbook Content; Content Analysis; Religion; Introductory Courses; Civil Rights; Illustrations; Muslims; State Church Separation; Politics; Legal Problems; Prosocial Behavior; Race; Social Attitudes; Religious Factors; Minority Groups; Whites; Higher Education
    • Accession Number:
      10.1080/15512169.2013.747929
    • ISSN:
      1551-2169
    • Abstract:
      The link between religion and political tolerance in the United States, which has focused predominantly on Christianity, is replete with unfavorable images. Often, religious adherents (largely Evangelicals or the Christian right) are characterized as uneducated, poor, and white, suggesting that members of these groups may act in an intolerant manner. Our objective is to examine how different religious groups and individuals of faith pictorially appear within introductory American government textbooks. Are they visually portrayed as politically tolerant or intolerant? Are the images of individuals and groups presented as exercising rights to speech, assembly, and petition or as a threat to others' civil rights? What general themes or issues surrounding the visual representation of religion and politics are emphasized? We find that the textbook depictions show religious individuals in a tolerant light (just about as likely to be the victims, as the perpetrators, of intolerance), educated, and not poor. Although people of color are shown in numerically similar proportions to that in the U.S. population, there is an overrepresentation of the Muslim faith. Legal issues surrounding the separation of church and state emerged as one dominant theme in the textbooks. Finally, the textbook pictures convey a message that religion and politics are connected with a number of the images mixing the two. (Contains 3 tables and 29 notes.)
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Number of References:
      56
    • Publication Date:
      2013
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1011927