Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2009, Side 65

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 18(2)/2009 65
kriStín loftSdóttir
attached to democracy, tolerance and Christian morality. The analysis then looked at
the policies of Námsgagnastofnun. Emphasis was put on textual analysis of guides
which Námsgagnastofnun initiates for textbook authors dating from 1986 to the
present. In these lists, multiculturalism is addressed very early on and more directly
(considering the length of the guide) than in the national curriculum. Many of the
guides stress the importance that children can identify with the pictures in the text-
books, as well as stressing that textbooks should not include prejudice of any kind.
It is interesting how little issues relating to multicultural society are addressed in
the curriculum, especially when considering the changes which Icelandic society has
undertaken. Nevertheless, there are significant changes in textbooks published by
Námsgagnastofnun in recent years.
aBOut tHE autHOr
Kristín Loftsdóttir (kristinl@hi.is) is a Professor in Anthropology at the University of
Iceland, receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 2000. Kristín has focused
on multicultural society in Iceland focusing on the historical formation of racism and
national identity, in addition to doing research on migrant work, gender and interna-
tional development.