The concept of terrorism in schools: Unmasking the official discourse to dispel the myths created in the classroom

Abstract

In high school social studies courses, terrorism is presented as a biased concept, framed by the logic of global hegemonic powers with the purpose of perpetuating the myths concerning the actors and the actions associated with the Middle East as well as their consequences on what is called the Occidental culture. Therefore, the objective of this article is to approach this concept from the perspective of the ideological discourse of security agencies and the media as it is reproduced in social studies textbooks in order to make an in-depth analysis of practices of terror and the way they are used as tools of the hegemonic power. The goal is to formulate a wider and demystified concept to be used in critical studies in Costa Rican high schools.