Picturing Africa: Critical Reflections on the Importance of Imagery in Textbooks

Authors

• Amber R. Reed, Spelman CollegeFollow
• Bailey A. Brown, Spelman CollegeFollow

Abstract

While many social studies teachers in the Atlanta metro area are working to combat stereotypical and racist images of Africa, our analysis of three commonly used textbooks demonstrate these are exactly the types of images that tend to get reproduced. This essay draws on an analysis of three commonly used textbooks in Georgia as well as interviews with teachers in the area. We show how stereotypes of Africa as filled with wild animals, primitive, and poverty-stricken are often upheld in publications despite teachers’ fervent desire to dismantle them. Because these images are often decontextualized, it is difficult for teachers and students to critically situate them within a larger dialogue about the continent and its place in history. Our essay argues for the critical importance of increased discussion on the use of images in teaching about Africa, as the choices we make to visually represent the continent are highly consequential in shaping young people’s perceptions of the region and its people.

Recommended Citation

Reed, Amber R. and Brown, Bailey A. (2026) "Picturing Africa: Critical Reflections on the Importance of Imagery in Textbooks," Essays in Education: Vol. 32: Iss. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://openriver.winona.edu/eie/vol32/iss2/6

Primary Author Bio Sketch

Amber R. Reed is assistant professor of global and diaspora studies at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a PhD in cultural anthropology, with a focus on education and politics in South Africa and the United States.

Secondary Author Bio Sketch

Bailey A. Brown is an assistant professor of sociology at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Columbia University. She researches and teaches on the sociology of education, inequality, gender and sexuality, and race and ethnicity.