Local and International Cultures in Catalan as a Second Language Textbooks

This study focuses on specific elements of local and international cultures
in two of the most widely used textbook collections for Catalan as a second
language (CSL). Adapting a methodology used by Ramirez & Hall (1990), the
study first gives quantitative analysis of the geographical references to Catalonia
and the rest of the world in form of a large text (more than 50 words) or an image.
The results show that Catalan culture is favored over international
cultures, but that, in most cases, textbooks give a simplified view on both Catalan
and international cultures. Catalonia and several other countries are often
presented from a tourist-consumer point of view, without any substantial cultural
information. Furthermore, the study suggests that textbooks avoid cultural
comparisons therefore, giving little space for cultural understanding. The results
presented in this paper form part of a wider research about the sociocultural
models that current CSL textbooks transmit.