When pupils learn geography they are extending their world view and reshaping it. This paper analyses representations of Africa and African countries and cultures in Irish primary geography textbooks and assesses to what extent these textbook portrayals facilitate or repress multicultural education, specifically critical multicultural education (CMCE). Here, this paper argues that primary geography can and should play a critical role in challenging societal issues of inequality, racism, prejudice and stereotypes, particularly pertaining to perspectives of the ‘Other’. This paper devises a framework for critical multicultural geography education (CMCGE) and applies this to Irish primary geography textbooks. While some textbooks can demonstrate capacity in fostering multiple perspectives, appreciation for diversity, development of critical thinking and enquiry, and making connections; in the main, textbooks present stereotypical, oversimplified accounts of issues, peoples and places which can result in feelings of superiority amongst dominant groups and more entrenched feelings of ‘Otherness’ amongst minority groups.

当学生学习地理时，他们正在扩展和重塑他们的世界观。本文分析了爱尔兰初级地理教科书中对非洲和非洲国家和文化的描述，并评估了这些教科书的描述在多大程度上促进或抑制了多元文化教育，特别是批判性多元文化教育 (CMCE)。在此，本文认为，初级地理可以而且应该在挑战不平等、种族主义、偏见和刻板印象等社会问题方面发挥关键作用，尤其是与“他者”的观点有关的问题。本文设计了批判多元文化地理教育 (CMCGE) 的框架，并将其应用于爱尔兰初级地理教科书。虽然一些教科书可以展示培养多种观点、欣赏多样性的能力，发展批判性思维和探究，并建立联系；总的来说，教科书对问题、民族和地方的描述陈规定型、过于简单化，这可能导致主导群体产生优越感，而少数群体产生更根深蒂固的“他者”感。