Textbooks is a common tool in education, and therefore a textbooks’ quality will influence teaching. This study aimed to study the representation of gender, class, and ethnicity in two textbooks for International Economics (in this study referred to as L1 and L2) at a high school level. The study applied an intersectional theory, as well as a common sense theory. The chosen method for the study was a critical multimodal discourse analysis. The study showed that L1 mostly put males in a subject position in both text and pictures, while L2 both presented females and males as subjects. Class was mostly represented through the classification of “the poor” and “the rich” in the texts in both textbooks, but L2 also included “the middle class” in its representation. It should also be noted that L2 showed a diversity of class representation in pictures, while L1 mostly showed people in a middle class position in pictures. Both textbooks used a Western point of view. While both textbooks emphasized the importance of diversity, L2 was the only textbook that showed this consistently in both text and pictures.
From an intersectional perspective, it can be stated that both textbooks present power systems where Western culture, “the rich” and masculinity is prized over other categories. L1 does not problematize these power systems. L2 approaches an intersectional discussion throughout the textbook by problematizing how different categories reinforce or limit power. These representations can affect the didactic aspect of teaching. L1 requires teachers to supplement the content with a norm critical perspective, while L2 requires teachers to encourage discussions that problematize power systems. However, L2 should be seen as a good starting point while shaping students into democratic, critical citizens.