Perceptions of Islam in Italy: Interpreting the Muslim world in some Italian textbooks

Since textbooks, along with pedagogical materials, do not simply pass on knowledge, but mirror the values of the society in which they are produced and used, a critical review of textbooks content should be constantly conducted by teachers, having an understanding of pedagogic content knowledge. By drawing attention to the importance of textbooks in good quality education policy, together with their various implications for education for all, the analysis aimed mainly at understanding if in the most popular and modern Italian religion textbooks for upper secondary school Islām and Muslims are presented in an objective way, receive negative connotations, by confirming the most widespread preconceptions, given that ‘the overwhelming majority of history textbooks tend to be Eurocentric and are inadequate in terms of providing students with a balanced knowledge of Islām and Islamic societies.