From one reform to the next: the place of the French-speaking world in a Norwegian FLE textbook

Abstract

This article examines the representation of the French-speaking world, from one reform to the next, in a Norwegian FLE textbook Enchanté 2 (Hønsi et al. 2007, 2013 and 2021). It shows how the textbook adapts (or does not adapt) this representation to the official syllabuses, focusing on the cultural and historical representations of the French-speaking world. This reading is based on an in-depth comparative examination of the chapters devoted to the French-speaking world in the three editions of the textbook. Chapter forewords, titles and contents are examined. Despite a genuine concern for diversity, the textbook, which is representative of the vast majority of FLE textbooks in Norway, is characterised by a very clear Francocentric orientation, as well as by a somewhat superficial representation of French-speaking cultures outside France. This result confirms the francocentrism of FLE textbooks in Scandinavia, despite important research in this field. The article therefore shows that the production of FLE textbooks is disconnected from research and is intended as a starting point for raising awareness in the development of future FLE resources.